Governor's plea on Sutardjianto's status rejected

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office on Monday refused Governor Sutiyoso's request to release from jail and place under house arrest former West Jakarta mayor Sutardjianto, the suspect in a Rp 2.6 billion (US$325,000) land scam.

"There's no possibility (for such a move)," head of the Jakarta Prosecutors Office Syahmardan Lubis said after meeting City Council speaker Edy Waluyo at the council building.

The official refused to elaborate on his office's surprising move.

Lubis hurried to his car as reporters prodded for more information.

He did not comment when pressed to admit the decision meant his office had rejected the governor's official request.

Lubis said he hoped Sutardjianto's dossiers would be submitted to the West Jakarta District Court "next month", without giving a more specific timeframe.

Last week, Sutiyoso wrote a letter to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office asking for the immediate release of Sutardjianto, who was head of the city inspectorate office when he was arrested on May 8.

The governor was willing to be the suspect's guarantor.

A similar formal request was also made by the suspect's lawyer, Luhut M. Pangaribuan, who sent a letter to the West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office.

The West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office arrested Sutardjianto for his suspected involvement in the illegal sale of city-owned land in 1996. The suspect is now detained at the Salemba penitentiary in East Jakarta.

The suspect allegedly made Rp 2.6 billion from the sale of two 1.9-hectare plots of land in Meruya Selatan and Meruya Utara in West Jakarta.

Head of West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office Rusdy Thahir said the suspect had placed Rp 250 million of the money in the account of one of his children, who was living overseas.

Sutardjianto was fired from his position of head of the city's inspectorate office immediately after his arrest, and his position has been temporarily taken over by Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi.

Separately, council speaker Edy Waluyo told reporters on Monday that he supported Lubis' decision not to release Sutardjianto from jail, saying that it might teach people to respect the law.

"I strongly support the efforts of the prosecutor's office to uncover the corruption, collusion and nepotism practices and that whoever is involved should be punished accordingly," he said.

Edy also said that it could become a test case for the country to always put the law above political interests. (ind)