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.