Ex-mayor 'took initiative' to use state funds
Ex-mayor 'took initiative' to use state funds
JAKARTA (JP): Former West Jakarta mayor Sutardjianto admitted
on Tuesday to illegally obtaining state funds totaling Rp 2.6
billion (US$388,000 at the current rate) during his five year
tenure from 1993 to 1997.
At a hearing in the trial of his alleged role in a land scam,
the defendant said he committed the crime in order to cover a
shortfall of funds faced by his administration.
"The West Jakarta administration did not have enough funds to
finance the development, so I took the initiative to find another
source of funds," Sutardjianto told the West Jakarta District
Court.
The former top figure in West Jakarta did not disclose the
budget received by his office during his tenure which had
subsequently "forced" him to commit the crime.
The defendant also argued that he carried out the crime in a
bid to settle the land problem as well as to "raise extra funds
from the disputed parties to help finance the city's development
projects".
"I distributed the fund to several social organizations and
other institutions and individuals, such as police, judges and
even local journalists," Sutardjianto said.
Reporters covering the hearing on Tuesday were stunned by the
defendant's remarks, saying that they regretted the matter and
condemned their colleagues for receiving such funds.
The defendant did not disclose the amount of money he shared
with other parties.
Prosecutor Rusli said in his indictment that all funds were
transferred to Sutardjianto's private account at Bank Pembangunan
Daerah Jakarta.
The 57-year-old defendant said he was entrusted by his
predecessor, Sudjoko, to settle a dispute over a 19,800-hectare
plot in Tomang, North Meruya subdistrict.
The city administration-owned land was in a decision made
under the governorship of Ali Sadikin in 1972 originally
allocated to house hundreds of homeless people in the capital.
For unknown reasons, the scheme was not carried out by
Sutarjianto's predecessors who ruled West Jakarta from 1988 till
1993.
The defendant said he made a decision on the matter by
retaining the ownership certificates of the land which had been
sold by unknown parties to "certain parties".
The defendant admitted to the court that during his term he
released the land certificates to the owners, who numbered at
least 121 individuals and included Wen Chie Siang and Yanto
Lukman.
The two were earlier said by prosecutors to have purchased
since 1991 respectively 9,330-square meters and 7,080-square
meters of the land.
Sutardjianto said he had asked the land owners for
compensation for providing the owners with their documents.
The defendant said that for his service Yanto and Chie Siang
had provided him with respectively Rp 1 billion and Rp 699
million.
Sutardjianto said he collected the remaining Rp 900 million
from other owners.
He said he committed the crime one year before he left his
position.
"I sent a letter of request to the West Jakarta National Land
Agency for the issuance of the land certificates," he said.
Judge Soeparno adjourned the hearing until Nov. 9 when the
prosecution will present their case. (asa)