Sanitation agency head admits to irregularities

Sanitation agency head admits to irregularities

Bambang Nurbianto and Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The alleged corruption scandal in the City Sanitation Agency
showed a fresh development on Monday when the agency's head
Slamet Limbong admitted that there had been irregularities in the
purchase of 10 waste incinerators.

Limbong said that PT Tompuro Jaraindo won the "tender" last
year as the contractor to purchase and install the incinerators.
The Rp 3.2 billion project was handed over to the agency on Dec.
12, 2001, a few months before Limbong was appointed to lead the
agency.

Until today, however, none of them has been operational.
According to the agency, six of the incinerators have been ready
for tryouts while four others have not yet been connected to the
electricity supply.

"The tryout of the waste incinerators is expected to take
place on June 14," Limbong stated here on Monday, adding that his
agency would carry out further investigations over the
irregularities.

He showed journalists a copy of a statement from PT Tompuro
Jaraindo, signed by its director, Pandapotan Gultam, without date
or file reference, expressing his readiness to finish the
project. Another statement had been signed by the company's
lawyer, Freddy L. Tobing, saying that completion of the project
would be on June 14.

The scandal allegedly involves Limbong's predecessor Saksono
Soehodo, who was dismissed by Governor Sutiyoso over his failure
to handle the garbage problems in the city.

Poor garbage management is one of the most serious problems in
the city, which contributed to the devastating floods that hit
the city earlier this year.

The city has recently signed separate agreements with an
Australian company and one from the U.S. to manage the waste.

The incinerator scandal was revealed last week by councillors
from Commission D for development affairs. They questioned the
"tender" made by the agency for the incinerator project, and the
qualifications of PT Tompuro, which won. The councillors found
that the company had used a fake address, that of a boarding
house.

There was also an allegation that certain councillors might be
involved in the scandal, which was denied by Limbong on Monday.

On Monday afternoon, workers and technicians of PT Tompuro
were busy completing the installation of an incinerator in
Petamburan subdistrict, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

Several people living near the incinerator station said that
the machine had been placed there only recently.

"As far as I'm aware, it was only placed there one or two
months ago," said a man.

Field supervisor of the company Agus denied that the
incinerator had been purchased and placed there solely due to
media attention on the alleged scandal. He claimed that the work
had been ongoing since early this year.

"It's only a regular check, part of our commitment," Agus told
The Jakarta Post.

Separately, deputy chairman of City Council Commission C for
budgetary affairs FX Marsiadi urged the city inspectorate to
investigate the scandal.

He said that even though it was claimed that the incinerators
had been bought last month, that was still not in conformity with
the procedure. As the funds were allocated last year, the
incinerators should also have been bought last year, said
Marsiadi from the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction.