Councillors, officials to be questioned

Councillors, officials to be questioned

JAKARTA (JP): Some 40 people involved in a questionable recent
official trip, including 14 councillors and a number of senior
city officials, will be interrogated at the Jakarta Prosecutor's
Office, an official said on Tuesday.

The head of the office, Fachri Nasution, said he had signed
the summonses for the officials allegedly involved in the so-
called Ancol scam.

"I signed the letter on Monday and the questioning will begin
early next week," Fachri told The Jakarta Post.

Among the officials to be questioned are Jakarta Development
Agency head Bambang Sungkono, Jakarta Land Agency chief Ahmaddin
Ahmad and Jakarta Land Agency deputy chief Nurfakih, he said.

"The technical process of the questioning will be up to the
team of prosecutors carrying out the interrogations," he stated.

The Ancol case gained prominence last week. It centers on
allegations that PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, the developer of the
Ancol recreation park in North Jakarta, paid Rp 2.1 billion to
fund a trip for a group of councillors and city officials.

The journey, and other official trips known as "comparison
studies", already was financed with Rp 13 billion that had been
set aside in the city budget.

The group was divided into three destinations -- South Africa,
Australia and Japan. The case initially involved only those
people on the trip to South Africa, which was officially aimed at
allowing the visiting councillors and officials to study the
waterfront reclamation project in Cape Town.

Reliable sources in the city administration disclosed that
each of the three senior city officials on the trip to South
Africa received between US$5,000 and $10,000 in cash from PT
Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, which is 80 percent owned by the city
administration.

The sources also revealed that at least two councillors pulled
out of the trip but still received money from the company.

The management of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol and those
participating in the trip have denied all the allegations. They
claim the firm merely paid for the travel costs in advance, and
that the money was to be repaid from the city budget and money
provided by Tanjung Priok seaport operator PT Pelindo II.

Meanwhile, city spokesman Muhayat said Governor Sutiyoso
ordered the officials in question to answer the summonses and
provide a detailed explanation of the matter to the prosecutor's
office.

"The governor said all city officials had to support the
investigation, and must not hamper it," Muhayat said.

When contacted, one of the officials, Ahmaddin Ahmad, said he
would answer the summons.

"I was only doing my job and yes I will appear for
questioning. Let the investigation show whether I am guilty or
not," he said.

Separately, councillor Syarif Zulkarnaen said several private
firms in the capital had expressed interest in taking over the
management of the Ancol recreational park. He added that these
firms promised they would be able to contribute between Rp 20
billion and Rp 30 billion to the city administration per annum,
which is about four to five times higher than the Rp 6 billion
the city administration receives from PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol.

Syarif, also chairman of the Council's Commission B for
economic affairs, made this statement on Tuesday during a meeting
between the councillors and the board of directors of PT
Pembangunan Jaya Ancol.

He did not identify the firms, but said they claimed they
would be able to reach these revenue figures without raising
prices at the park.

Syarif said these private companies approached him some six
months ago, claiming they could not approach city officials to
discuss their business plans.

The meeting on Tuesday was meant to discuss ways to increase
the amount of money Ancol brought in during the 2001 budget year.

Syarif suggested Ancol be given a minimum revenue target of Rp
20 billion per year to encourage it to increase business.

"If the company cannot meet the target, the board of directors
must resign," said Syarif.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol's assets include 477 hectares of
land, comprising the 165 hectares of the recreational park, the
168 hectares of the Ancol Barat and Ancol Timur residential
complexes and 144 hectares of industrial land. (dja/07)