Prosecutors set to unravel corruption in airport project

TANGERANG (JP): The prosecutors office here appears to be on the verge of uncovering alleged corruption in the 1981 acquisition of 115 hectares of land for the development of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

State prosecutors have arrested a land broker, Surya Miharja, on charges of collaborating with allegedly corrupt officials and embezzling Rp 44 billion (US$2.8 million) in state money.

Suhaemi, head of the special crimes department in the Tangerang Prosecutors Office, said recently that he planned to summon several former senior officials for questioning about the scam.

The retired officials were formerly members of a government committee in charge of handling the acquisition of the land for the airport.

He declined to name names but it is understood they include former Tangerang regent Tadjus Sobirin, former Batuceper district chief Marwata and former Tangerang land affairs office head Hanafiah.

The scandal surfaced when the airport complex was remeasured several years ago and officials found that it was only 95 hectares even though the central government had paid for the acquisition of 115 hectares.

A subsequent investigation found that three hectares were unaccounted for, four hectares were located outside the area designated for the project and the remaining 13 hectares had been developed into a housing complex.

Suhaemi said Surya reportedly gave fake land ownership documents to the central government to acquire the 13 hectare of land and the owner sold it to a property developer.

The prosecutors office is determined to investigate the rest of the missing plots, he said. (41/pan)