Locals see mark ups in airport

Locals see mark ups in airport

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The Tangerang Youth Movement (GPT) and several non-governmental
organizations are accusing the municipality of manipulation in a
land clearance project for airport operator PT Angkasa Pura in
2002.

GPT chairman Fahmi Alyusdi said on Tuesday that he had strong
evidence showing data manipulation by a nine-member team on land
owned by residents in Selapajang and Neglasari districts, both
under the Tangerang municipality.

"We have complete data on the manipulation made by the team
and we will submit a written report to prosecutors and the
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday," Fahmi
said.

He said that the team, chaired by Tangerang Mayor Wahidin
Halim, then municipal administration secretary, had marked up
funds used to pay the landowners for their property.

PT Angkasa Pura II entrusted the team to clear the land for
the expansion of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and
agreed to pay Rp 100,000 per square meter for paddy fields and
Rp 150,000 for dry flat land.

"The team claimed that 31,500 square meters of rice field
land was flat, dry land in Selapajang district in order to get
higher compensation of Rp 150,000 per square meter," Fahmi said.

"This is only the tip of the iceberg. Similar manipulation
allegedly occurred in Benda district, but we have yet to collect
enough data from residents, but we will have later," he said.

NGO activist Imron Khamami urged prosecutors to probe the
corruption allegation in the land clearance project.

"We will stand right behind prosecutors if they investigate
markups by the nine-member team in paying compensation to the
local landowners," he said.

However, Erlan Rusnarlan, head of the municipal legal
department who was a member of that nine-member team denied the
corruption allegations.

"There was a mistake in calculating the area of rice field
land and dry land and we have reported this and returned the
excess amount of money to Angkasa Pura II," he said.

Separately, Banten's head prosecutor Kemas Yahya said that in
principle, prosecutors would respond to and follow up on any
corruption allegations as long as there were
official reports filed with the prosecutor's office.

"We have heard that there could have been some data
manipulation in paying compensation to landowners for the
expansion of the airport, but we are still waiting for official
reports," he said.

Kemas said that prosecutors would follow up on the corruption
allegation after received all the necessary documentation.