`Gifts' of public space in Pondok Kopi to be probed
`Gifts' of public space in Pondok Kopi to be probed
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said here
yesterday that he will question East Jakarta's mayor about civil
servants who have allegedly taken bribes from a real estate
developer.
"The government will check the reports thoroughly before
taking any measures against the suspected officials," Surjadi
said, adding that he does not tolerate corruption.
Earlier reports said that a number of government officials,
both military and civil servants, received free plots of land in
Pondok Kopi area, East Jakarta, from PT Mas Naga real estate
company.
However, the total 1.3-hectare plot in the Pondok Kopi housing
area was initially intended to be kept as a public space, a must
for every developer, which would include a park and a mosque.
Sudarsono, the mayor of East Jakarta, was quoted by Jayakarta
daily as admitting yesterday that a number of his staffers had
already received the plots as "rations" from PT Mas Naga
following the sales of its real estate.
He declined to mention the names of the allegedly corrupt
officials, saying that only two persons had already signed the
faked procurements so far.
He added that both officials had returned the plots to the
developer following the coverage of the media of the incident.
Councilors
In a related development, two city councilors of the United
Development Party (PPP) and Golkar said yesterday that the
government should take measures against such officials.
"It has spoiled our happiness after being awarded the
Parasamya Purnakarya Nugraha award by the central government,"
said councilor Helmy AR Syihab from PPP.
He estimated that the 1.3-hectare land costs Rp 2.6 billion
(US$1.19 million).
Parasamya is a meritorious award given to provinces, including
Jakarta, for their most outstanding achievement in the
development programs over the past five years. One of several
points evaluated in determining whether a province deserves the
award is how the province organizes its administrative affairs.
Councilor Mansyur Achmad from Golkar told reporters here that
the land recipients should return their parcels.
"The government should also punish the developer," Mansyur
said. He added that he was concerned about business practices
here in which bribery was becoming standard operating procedure.
The management of PT Mas Naga was not available for comment.
Officers from a police sub-precinct and the district military
in Pondok Kopi area, as well as officials of the East Jakarta
mayoralty, were reported to have received the bribes.
Groups implicated in the scam from East Jakarta include
members of the Organization and Law section, the Land Agency and
the Mayoralty Secretariat.
The report said that some individuals received 240-square-
meter plots, while others received 300, or 700-square-meter
parcels.
The scam has raised the possibility of the involvement of more
powerful officials, who acted to cut through the administrative
red-tape.
Helmy said that the Jakarta inspectorate and prosecutors
offices should intervene in the problem and investigate the
corruption case completely. (09)