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Two city officials named suspects in faulty bus case
The Attorney Generalâs Office (AGO) has named two Jakarta Transportation Agency officials suspects in connection with the procurement of faulty Transjakarta and feeder buses from China worth Rp 1 trillion (US$88 million)
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he Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named two Jakarta Transportation Agency officials suspects in connection with the procurement of faulty Transjakarta and feeder buses from China worth Rp 1 trillion (US$88 million).
AGO spokesman Setia Untung Arimuladi confirmed on Friday that the two officials, referred to as DA and ST, were named suspects after the AGO found initial evidence of irregularities in the buses' procurement.
DA, short for Drajat Adhyaksa, was named a suspect in his capacity as budget authority holder while ST, short for Setyo Tuhu, is head of the bus procurement bidding committee.
'The investigators are to investigate further and gather more evidence before the two suspects are taken to court,' he said.
Through the bidding last year, the Jakarta administration bought 644 Transjakarta buses from China. The city has paid Rp 400 billion for 125 of the buses that have been delivered.
The allegation of irregularities was raised when media reports exposed the poor condition of a number of buses, which were not in line with the specifications set during the bidding. Many components on the 15 newly shipped buses ' 10 single buses and five articulated ones ' which were produced by China's Ankai, were rusted and damaged. The damaged components included power-steering parts, engine mounts, machine pulleys and air filters. The buses' water coolant tanks were leaking, windshields were broken, dashboard instruments were unscrewed and air-conditioning units were faulty.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahok 'Basuki' Tjahaja Purnama has called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the case as he suspects that buses priced at Rp 3.6 billion were marked up from Rp 1.5 billion per unit, resulting in state losses of Rp 16 billion.
He said he would entrust the AGO and the KPK with investigating the case thoroughly and upholding justice.
'We will not intervene,' he said, adding that the Jakarta administration would not provide any legal assistance for the suspects.
Separately, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), questioned the city's commitment to settling the case.
'Where is the key perpetrator?' he said.
According to him, former Transportation Agency head Udar Pristono should be held responsible for the irregularities.
Many others have also expressed that not only Udar but the governor and his deputy should be held responsible for the irregularities because a lack of supervision might have led to the abuse of power during bidding.
The administration has revealed a number of irregularities that took place during bidding.
Head of the Development Finance Comptroller's (BPKP) Jakarta chapter, Muhammad Yusuf, asked the city's administration in August 2013 to halt the bidding on the 330 Transjakarta buses due to indications of irregularities, but the Transportation Agency ignored the call and continued the tender.
Ahok also blamed the city's Inspectorate Agency for the irregularities because it failed to closely supervise the procurement.
Meanwhile, Employment Agency head I Made Karmayoga said he would suspend the two officials to ensure a fair trial after receiving official information from the AGO.
Made also said that the Jakarta administration would suspend the suspects' allowances and that they would receive only 75 percent of their monthly salaries.
