No fun at the fair as legal dispute continues

No fun at the fair as legal dispute continues

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The high-profile legal dispute between business tycoons Edward
Soeryadjaya and Hartati Murdaya over the management of the
Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, has reached an
illegal impasse.

Last week, two district courts issued separate rulings on the
case. One court ruled in favor of Edward and the other in favor
of Hartati, leading to uncertainty over who will run the annual
Jakarta Fair.

On Wednesday, head of the Central Jakarta District Court, I
Made Karna, ordered the eviction of Edward, the owner of the
Jakarta International Trade Fair (JITF) from the fairgrounds by
Jan. 15. Edward's company currently manages the fairgrounds,
comprising of office buildings and 251,000-square-meter of land
in Kemayoran.

The conflict began when Hartati accused Edward of not giving
her substantial shares in the company, after her Mauritius-based
investment vehicle -- Jerome International Limited (JIL) --
bailed JITF out of its financial problems.

However, the eviction may not go according to plan, as Edward
has planned to launch his concept for the 2004 Jakarta Fair on
the same date. According to Edward, the launch would be attended
by Vice President Hamzah Haz and National Police chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar.

Governor Sutiyoso had also agreed to attend the launch, but
canceled as the much-criticized busway project will kick off on
the same day.

When The Jakarta Post contacted Hartati by phone on Sunday,
she expressed hope that the other high-profile figures would also
fail to attend the launch.

"I don't want the public to get the impression that they (the
high-profile figures) are being used to stand against the court
order," she remarked.

She added that apart from the court order, City Bylaw No.
12/2003 stipulates that the new operator of the fairground is her
company PT Central Citra Murdaya.

However, on Dec. 12, a panel of judges at the East Jakarta
District Court awarded Edward and the company's chief
commissioner, Guruh Soekarnoputra (the younger brother of
President Megawati Soekarnoputri) authority over the fairgrounds.

Also contacted by the Post by phone on Sunday, Edward said
that the Central Jakarta District Court order was irrelevant.

"The order is illegal as it was made by the head of the court
as an individual," he said, adding that his lawyers had filed a
suit against the judge and the bailiff who had ruled against his
company.

"Moreover, the East Jakarta District Court has issued an order
to seize the assets of JIL and its partner companies," he said.