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.