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)