Tension heightens at the Kemayoran fairground
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya demanded on Tuesday that her former associate Edward Soeryadjaya peacefully hand over management of the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, or face a possibly violent eviction.
Her statement came just a day after Edward and his lawyers reported Hartati to police for forgery, deepening the dispute over the management of the fairground, the venue of the annual Jakarta Fair.
Hartati said the law was on her side. "Two district courts have issued rulings in favor of my company and they will soon execute an eviction order against Edward," she told a press conference.
The eviction date is set for Thursday this week.
The Central Jakarta and North Jakarta District Courts had coordinated with the City Police, the Army and its Special Forces unit (Kopassus), as well as the city's public order agency to secure the eviction, she said.
"I know that pak Edward has installed thugs to guard the ground and I don't want to see them go up against thousands of security personnel."
Edward would be responsible if the eviction turned violent, she said.
The conflict began when Hartati accused Edward of not giving her substantial shares in the company, after her Mauritius-based investment vehicle -- Jerome International Limited (JIL) -- bailed the Jakarta International Trade Fair (JITF) out when it was mired in financial problems.
The promised share would have given Hartati's PT Central Citra Murdaya 52.5 percent shares in JITF. Edward asked for debt restructuring instead.
Edward's company currently manages the fairgrounds, comprising office buildings and 251,000-square-meters of land in Kemayoran.
On Dec. 12, a panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court awarded Edward and JITF chief commisioner, Guruh Soekarnoputra (the younger brother of President Megawati Sukarnoputri) authority over the fairground and froze Hartati's share.
This week, Edward reported Hartati to police for forgery, alleging she had tampered with dates on a debt transfer document. Hartati said she would sue Edward for defamation.
Edward on Tuesday denied accusations he sent thugs to guard the fairground. "We won't resort to violence to defend our claims," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.
He also denied a political party-affiliated militia group had been present near the fairground to stand guard as reported earlier.
Despite the legal hubbub, Edward insisted he would launch his concept for 2004 Jakarta Fair on the day of the eviction as scheduled.
"Vice President Hamzah Haz has given his assurance that he will be present in the ceremony and there is no change in that planned schedule," he said.