Leakages in JEC project likely to burst soon
Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
State-owned construction company PT Adhi Karya has been implicated in a Rp 125 million bribery scandal to secure support from the Yogyakarta provincial legislature for the Jogya Expo Center (JEC) upgrade.
Several members of the legislature have admitted receiving money from PT Adhi Karya who successfully bid for the Rp 42.5 billion contract. The provincial attorney's office is investigating.
Though the project was supposed to be completed in time for the ASEAN Tourism Conference late last month, the building is far from finished.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) legislative faction chairman Agus Subagyo confirmed on Thursday that a legislator had offered a PDI Perjuangan legislator an envelope containing a sum of money.
"The money has been left untouched until now. PDI Perjuangan faction will meet tomorrow to decide our stance over this issue," he told reporters at the provincial legislative office.
Agus, however, refused to disclose the amount of money inside the envelope, the legislator who handed the money over or reveal other legislators who had received money from the construction company.
Similar revelations came from Golkar Party faction chairman Kharuddin who said he returned the money to the company.
"I was offered an envelope with a sum of money inside but I returned it as I knew that it was from PT Adhi Karya," he said.
Another legislator who did not wish to be identified said he had already spent the money because he did not know where it came from.
Adhi Karya reportedly gave bribes totaling Rp 125 million to a number of legislators who were considered to have played an important role in winning the legislature's support for the construction project.
The legislature finally gave its approval for the project after being lobbied by both the provincial administration and the state-owned construction company.
The project which was funded from the province's budget, the state budget and the Japanese government.
Deputy speaker Totok Daryanto also confirmed that factions discussed the issue at a meeting on Wednesday evening.
"We agreed to let the legislature's commission A make the necessary clarification over the issue," he said.
Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said he had ordered the provincial prosecutor's office on Friday to investigate the alleged bribery and also a case involving the election of the province's deputy governor.
"We have let the attorney investigate the two cases," he told reporters here on Friday.
Hemengkubuwono, also the Sultan of Yogyakarta, denied media reports his administration had transferred Rp 150 million to legislative members to smooth the second disbursement of Rp 9.5 billion to PT Adhi Karya in September last year.
The Yogyakarta provincial administration contributed Rp 19 billion to the JEC project. The province's share in the construction project came from reserve funds.
Separately on Friday, the head of the provinces attorney's office, Hantoro Sumarjo, said it had already formed a team to investigate the alleged bribery behind the construction project.
It was also investigating the alleged money politics behind the election of Paku Alam IX, the Sultan of Pakualaman, as Yogyakarta's deputy governor.
"The team is already working now," he said.