Tommy's office sold for Rp 80b

JAKARTA: Non-governmental organization Government Watch (GOWA) questioned on Friday Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri's decision to purchase the Timor Building in Central Jakarta.

GOWA coordinator Farid R. Faqih said on Friday that the ministry had bought the building, owned by Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala Putra, who is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence in Nusa Kambangan, Cilacap, Central Java, with the help of the Ministry of Finance.

"They purchased the building, it was not given to them. We have the documents," Faqih was quoted by Antara as saying.

According to GOWA, the Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries had bought the building for Rp 80 billion.

The building, located in the Gambir area, is under the administration of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA). According to GOWA, Rokhmin paid Rp 80 billion to IBRA, which then transferred the money to the Ministry of Finance. The money was taken from the national budget.

GOWA questioned the need for the purchase because there were still many government buildings that could have been used as the ministry's office. --Antara