Former Air Force chief questioned over land dispute
Former Air Force chief questioned over land dispute
JAKARTA (JP): Former Air Force chief of staff Marshall (ret.) Mohamad Saleh Basarah Suradiningrat has been questioned over possible involvement in the fraudulent acquisition of a lucrative parcel in South Jakarta.
"He was summoned by the Air Force Chief of Staff (Marshall Rilo Pambudi) to come to the headquarters for questioning regarding the case," National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman told reporters here yesterday.
"Marshall Rilo has told me that the case will be handled by officials of the Air Force headquarters," said the four-star police general without mentioning the exact date of the questioning.
All matters required by the police for their investigation into the 8,000-square-meter plot of land will be provided by the Air Force, Banurusman explained.
When asked why the questioning took place at the Air Force headquarters instead of at a police station, Banurusman simply said: "No problem."
"We can get a complete written information about the questioning which would have been similar had it taken place at the police station," he added.
Ambassador
Saleh, 65, the Air Force chief of staff from 1973 to 1976, also used to be Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom, a member of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) and chairman of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina).
It is believed that he was questioned to explain his and several other officials' position in connection with the case of the disputed plot at Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 26 and 27, which is currently occupied by the privately-owned Bank Central Dagang (BCD) and Bank Bali banks.
A reliable source told The Jakarta Post that the dispute centers over the payments to the parcels owner, Ilyas Ya'cub.
"Only half of the 8,000 square-meters has been paid for by the developer thus far," the source who asked to remain anonymous said.
In a related development, a document issued by Ya'cub's lawyer, Zakaria Anshary, which was made available to the Post yesterday, stated that the land was illegally occupied by PT Ircombumi Grahamaju which forged ownership certificates.
With the fake certificates shareholders of PT Ircombumi Grahamaju built a high rise on Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 26 which is partly shared by BCD, Irwan Sutisna, The Tjimin, Nissho Iwai from Japan and PT Jaya Obayashi.
The other plot of land at Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 27 was sold to PT Bank Bali.
Teguh Timbul
Other sources disclosed that Saleh is a shareholder in PT Teguh Timbul, a private company which has sold part of its shares to PT Ircombumi Grahamaju. Saleh is therefore believed to have known parties involved in the forgery of the land ownership certificates.
Earlier on Monday, Maj. Gen. Koesparmono Irsan, deputy to the National Police chief for Operational Affairs, said that many disputed land cases in the city appear difficult to solve due to the frequent involvement of high-ranking or influential officials and conglomerates.
Koesparmono complained that many high-ranking officials and conglomerates do not want to cooperate with the police.
Those directly involved have been clearly identified, but the police could not find appropriate ways to call them for questioning, he said.
"It's difficult for many to understand this situation, but if they sit here like we (the police) do, they will learn that they have no choice to make," he sighed.(bsr)