Prosecutors to question former mayor over graft

Mustaqim Adamrah ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 06/27/2008 10:06 AM  |  City

The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office will question former East Jakarta mayor Koesnan Abdul Halim for alleged corruption in a case involving land acquisition in Kelapa Dua Wetan, Ciracas, East Jakarta.

Assistant to the deputy office head for special crimes Muhammad Yusuf said Thursday the office was planning to make an arrest if they found him guilty.

"We're developing the case and are looking into making Koesnan a suspect," he said.

Yusuf said his office had questioned Koesnan twice.

Officials arrested Pulo Gadung district head Iwan Saali on Wednesday evening. He was the Ciracas district head in 2006 when the land acquisition took place.

Iwan was allegedly involved in misappropriating Rp 17 billion (US$1.84 million), Koran Tempo reported Thursday.

"We arrested Iwan with charges under the corruption law," said office head, Harry Heryansyah.

The office also arrested former Kelapa Dua Wetan subdistrict head Sunaryono and Wilson Daniel, a former employee at the East Jakarta Public Works and Water Management Agency, for the same case.

The case was opened when the municipality allegedly took the money initially allocated to the East Flood Canal's land acquisition and used it to buy land in Rawa Babon for the Rawa Babon Reservoir project.

The municipality officials said they paid the landowners, although they did not notify the committee responsible for the land acquisition.

"The municipality officials said they acquired 6,000 square meters of land for the reservoir project," Yusuf said.

"The municipality should have clarified their data with the land acquisition committee. The municipality did not follow legal procedures."

He said he believed Iwan inflated the expenditure figures of the reservoir project, misappropriating taxpayers' money for his own benefit.

He also said Wilson, who was responsible for budget expenditure, falsified figures, while Sunaryono manipulated land ownership documents.

Iwan, Wilson and Sunaryono are now detained at the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta.

After his tenure as East Jakarta mayor for over six years, Koesnan retired May this year and has since been working at the Home Ministry as a development advisor for Minister Mardiyanto.

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