Pasar Jaya president summoned to testify

JAKARTA (JP): The president of city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya, Syahril Tanjung, said on Tuesday that he had received a summons from West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office to testify as a witness over an alleged corruption case.

"I will meet the summons and give a proper explanation. It's normal and obligatory for me to provide an explanation to the prosecutor's office," Syahril told reporters.

He refused to provide further details on when he would visit the office.

He said the summons, dated April 20, 2001, commanded him to the office over alleged corruption in a cooperation agreement between Pasar Jaya and private firm PT Betawi Jaya Lestari.

Syahril denied allegations that the prosecutor's investigation had been made over possible collusion as he shares his last name with PT Betawi Jaya's executive David Tanjung.

"We have no family ties," he said.

A source at the prosecutor's office said executives of PT Betawi Jaya, owned by businessman Handoko, have already met the prosecutor's summonses.

Syahril earlier denied that cooperation with the private firm was fraudulent, as accused by the United Development Party (PPP) faction at the City Council.

He said PT Betawi Jaya, which had won the project through a tender, had been assigned to offer about 200 shops, worth Rp 24 billion (US$2.4 million), in the newly rebuilt Glodok Plaza in West Jakarta.

He claimed PPP's accusation was made because PD Pasar Jaya had rejected a request by a PPP councillor for a "quota of space" in the plaza.

Head of PPP's Jakarta branch Djaffar Badjeber earlier denied that his faction or party members had requested trading spaces in the plaza.

"But if there were councillors asking for spaces, it was because they wanted to buy them. They didn't demand space for free, so it's not illegal," Djaffar, who is also deputy council speaker, said.

PPP was the only faction that brought the case to light, during the council's annual session, which heard the council's response last week to Governor Sutiyoso's recent accountability speech. (jun)