Police urged to investigate bribery

Police urged to investigate bribery

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Council chairman Edy Waluyo and Governor Sutiyoso claim to
be in the dark about an allegation that PT Jakarta International
Fair Trade (JITF) paid bribes to councillors even though one
councillor has publicly admitted to receiving Rp 20 million
(US$2,096) from the company.

Edy said he was unaware of the allegation, but he would
nevertheless throw his weight behind any legal action concerning
the case.

"We'll support an investigation," he said.

Edy is waiting for explanations from the councillors, who are
currently touring Bangka-Belitung, Gorontalo and North Sulawesi
provinces.

"I don't know about the case. If there is a bribery case, it
must be investigated by the police," Sutiyoso, who is also the
company's president commissioner, told reporters on Thursday at
City Hall.

He claimed the administration was only a minority shareholder
of the company, which manages the Jakarta Fairground in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

PT JITF is partly owned by the city administration, the state-
run Kemayoran Authority, private developer Graha Nusa Pradana and
the Japan Development Corporation.

Councillor Ugiek Soegihardjo of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle, the largest faction in the council, alleged on
Wednesday that he had received a Rp 20 million bribe from PT
JITF.

"Perhaps, the firm wanted to calm councillors down who at that
time were investigating irregularities in the company," said
Ugiek, who is a member of the council's special committee in
investigating the firm.

Ugiek said he was contacted by the council secretary,
Moerdiman, who told him there was some money for him from PT
JITF. The money was reportedly handed over to Ugiek through PDI
Perjuangan faction chairman Agung Imam Sumanto.

A reliable source at the City Council revealed that Agung gave
the same amount of money to the faction's other members who are
also members of the committee.

Agung could not be reached for comment on Thursday as he was
still in North Sulawesi.

The special committee consists of 26 councillors drawn from
the council's 11 factions. Eight of the committee members are PDI
Perjuangan councillors.

However, councillor Syarifien Zulkarnaen of the United
Development Party (PPP), who is also a committee member, claimed
he did not receive any money from PT JITF.

"Maybe the company tried to bribe Ugiek since he knew much
about the irregularities," he said.