KPPU to investigate JI Expo

Indah Setiawati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 06/23/2009 9:13 PM  |  Jakarta

The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) plans to investigate PT. Jakarta International (JI) Expo for its alleged monopoly on the management of the Jakarta Fair, an official said Tuesday.

KPPU commissioner Ahmad Ramadhan Siregar said the decision was made after none of the company representatives came to his office today to discuss the allegations.

“JI Expo [representatives] did not come as requested. KPPU considers them as not cooperative, which strengthens the monopoly allegations,” he said in a text message.

Meanwhile, JI Expo managing director Budi Santosa denied receiving the KPPU invitation, saying he would definitely have attended the meeting and been cooperative had he received it.

“I didn't receive any invitation. Maybe it got lost or something. I have called the official at the KPPU to ask for another meeting invitation,” Budi told The Jakarta Post.

Jakarta International Expo would be ready to compete if the city administration decided to hold a tender to determine the organizer of the annual fair, he said.

Other parties would hardly be able to hold such a big event, Budi said.

“The regional regulation should be changed first and I will also retract the 13 percent share granted to the administration,” he said.

Budi said his company deserved to become the organizer of the fair because he won a bidding process in the court after previous organizer PT Jakarta International Trade Fair (JITF) went bankrupt after its failure to pay a hefty debt.

JI Expo has organized the fair since 2004.

City Secretary Muhayat said the administration would obey the KPPU's suggestion to hold a beauty contest, but that he could not tell when this would happen since the event was still underway.
   

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