Developer promises to restore building

JAKARTA (JP): A state-owned construction company promised to rebuild the annex of the former Supreme Court building on Jl. Lapangan Banteng Timur which it destroyed in October, Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah said on Wednesday.

PT Pembangunan Perumahan admitted to making an error when it destroyed the annex, located at the rear of the Supreme Court building, to facilitate work on the nearby construction of a four-story building belonging to the Ministry of Finance, Andi Subur told reporters.

The developer said it needed the space to make room for its trucks, the mayor added.

The Supreme Court building, built in 1828, has long been listed as a historic and protected building.

The agreement to rebuild the annex was secured with Pembangunan Perumahan and the construction project's managers after lengthy negotiations on Monday.

Besides destroying the annex, the developer also failed to secure a building permit from the Central Jakarta mayoralty for the project.

Under Law No. 5/1992 on National Heritage, damaging protected buildings carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment or a Rp 100 million (US$14,000) fine.

The negotiations on Monday were attended by Pembangunan Perumahan planning director Ronaldi, project leader Dez Rizal from the Ministry of Finance's Directorate General of Budgetary Affairs, Agus Salim of the Central Jakarta mayoralty, Imam Negoro of the Jakarta Planning Agency and representatives from the Jakarta Development Monitoring Agency and the Jakarta Museum and Restoration Agency.

The negotiations concluded with an agreement that the building project would be suspended until the annex was fully restored.

Andi Subur said his office expected legal proceedings to continue against the Ministry of Finance for violating the 1992 law. "It is necessary to show the public that government officials can also be put on trial."

He said the project managers were told not to damage the annex, but they failed to heed the warning.

The mayor added that the Jakarta Museum and Restoration Agency should actively monitor all of the city's historic buildings and take preventive measures against such violations.

Andi Subur also expressed regret over the Ministry of Finance's failure to monitor its project properly. (06)