Tommy questioned over land scam

Tommy questioned over land scam

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo
Mandala Putra was grilled for more than 12 hours at the Attorney
General's Office on Wednesday.

Tommy, as the businessman is popularly known, has been named
as a suspect in an Rp 52.5 billion land scam in Jakarta. He was
banned from leaving the country after he was first questioned
last November. He later refused to meet a summons from the
attorney general during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan.

On Wednesday, Tommy was questioned over the sale of a property
belonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in Kelapa Gading,
North Jakarta. The property was bought by PT Goro Batara Sakti, a
giant supermarket chain in which Tommy held shares.

Under the deal struck between Goro and the agency, Bulog was
to receive a 63 hectare plot in Marunda, North Jakarta, worth an
estimated Rp 52.5 billion in exchange for the Kelapa Gading site.

However, Bulog received only eight hectares of the promised
site in Marunda and paid Rp 32.5 billion for the land in spite of
a contract obliging Goro to pick up the bill.

Bulog also guaranteed a loan of Rp 20 billion which Goro
received from Bank Bukopin to purchase the Marunda site.

PT Goro Batara Sakti formerly operated giant supermarkets in
Kelapa Gading and on Jl. Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta. The Pasar
Minggu outlet was badly damaged by fire during the May riots and
has not reopened since.

Early last year, Tommy sold his entire stake in Goro to
Puskud, a government cooperative.

Two other suspects in the investigation, Ricardo Gelael and
Beddu Amang, have been banned from leaving the country. Ricardo
was a senior executive of the supermarket chain, while Beddu was
a former chairman of Bulog.

Beddu was replaced at Bulog in August after the agency was
accused of gross inefficiency and corruption. (byg)