Jakarta councillors questioned over Ancol scam

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Prosecutor's Office questioned three city councillors, including the council's deputy speaker Tarmidi Suhardjo, on Wednesday in connection with their controversial overseas trips last year.

Spokesperson for the prosecutor's office Seremita Purba said Tarmidi Suhardjo and two other councillors Tarmidi Edy Suwarno and Ali Imran Husein were grilled from 10 a.m until evening by four prosecutors.

"Several questions centered on travel allowances they received although they did not join the trips," Seremita said.

She said her office expected to complete the investigation into the case next week.

"By the end of this investigation, we hope that we can name the suspects," she said.

Tarmidi Suhardjo and Tarmidi Edy Suwarno are from the majority Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) while Ali Imran is from the United Development Party (PPP). The three earlier claimed that they had returned the travel allowances.

Four more councillors will face questioning in the case, namely City Council speaker Edy Waluyo and FX Marsiadi of the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction; Zayadi Musa of PPP; and Totok Ismunandar of PDI Perjuangan.

Financed by the city-owned developer PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, 45 city officials and councillors joined a seven-day trip last October to three different destinations: Australia, Japan and South Africa.

Those who went to Japan continued their tour to South Korea and Hong Kong although it was never scheduled.

Besides reportedly receiving travel allowances from the company of between US$5,000 and US$10,000, the councillors received Rp 52 million (US$5,200) each taken from the 2000 City Budget.

The councillors are members of the Council's Commission D for development affairs. They were invited by the company which was seeking the council's approval of its marine property project in Ancol, North Jakarta.

City Inspector Hendarin Ono Saleh earlier recommended that Governor Sutiyoso punish the 11 officials who joined the trips. While nine of them were handed administrative sanctions, the city development agency chief Bambang Sungkono and the city planning agency head Ahmaddin Ahmad, who both were invited on the foreign tours, were not given any punishment. (jun)