Evidence sought to prove corruption at parking office

Evidence sought to prove corruption at parking office

JAKARTA (JP): The head of the City Parking Authority, Sumaryono, is demanding evidence to support the allegations of corruption at his office.

Sumaryono said over the weekend that he wants to check the dates on the bank receipts and compare them to the records in the parking authority's files because there is a possibility that the dates are different.

He explained that it is important to compare the dates because the amount of parking fees turned in by the private companies is different from time to time. The alleged differences in the amounts recorded by the parking authority and those stated in the bank receipts could be explained if the dates on the documents are different.

"Private companies turn in 25 percent of their parking revenues, and the amounts of the revenues change every month. This then influences the revenues received by the parking authority," Sumaryono said as quoted by the Jayakarta daily.

Sumaryono said he was not going to make excuses for his office, but neither would he assume the allegations were true until the investigation being carried out by the city administration is finished.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has ordered the City Administration Inspector Djoko Brotosurjono to investigate the allegations of corruption at the parking authority.

The governor gave the order after reading a report on discrepancies between the amounts of funds reported by the parking authority and the bank receipts for the funds turned in by privately owned parking companies.

Under existing regulations, building owners, who have parking facilities, are obliged to contribute 25 percent of their parking revenues to the city administration through the parking authority.

The parking authority's files show that it received a smaller amount of parking fees than the sums paid by private companies to the City Revenue Office.

Bank receipts show that the Islamic Hospital on Jl. Cempaka Putih, East Jakarta, sends Rp 500,000 to the parking authority every month, but the agency has recorded that the hospital only turns in Rp 150,000 per month.

The governor has also indicated there is a possibility the former head of the Parking Authority, Sudigdo Widagdo, who was replaced by Sumaryono, will be summoned in the investigation process. This will only be necessary if the alleged corruption happened when he was still head of the office.

"The investigation process will involve many people because it is aimed at collecting evidence to probe the possibility of corruption at the parking authority," Surjadi said. (yns)