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)