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Meikarta customers hope for solution after James Riady meets Jokowi
Customers of the Meikarta new city megaproject hoped there would be a solution for them after Lippo Group leaders met with Jokowi.
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An aerial photo shows the construction of apartments at Meikarta in Cikarang, Bekasi regency, West Java. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A. )
M
eikarta Customer Care Community Association chairman Yosafat Erland says he hopes for a solution for customers of the stalled mega-apartment project after tycoon Mochtar Riady met with former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Surakarta, Central Java, on Friday.
Lippo Group founder Mochtar was accompanied by his son Lippo chairman James Riady and grandson John Riady in visiting Jokowi at his private residence.
"Hopefully, there will be a solution for us customers, the victims," Yosafat told tempo.co on Friday.
Yosafat said he and other customers in the association did not want to continue clashing with the developers but they had been forced to take to the streets to demand full refunds.
Yosaphat added that most Meikarta customers were retirees, some of whom previously worked for state-owned enterprises. Due to their age, they are now represented by their nieces and nephews in the protests.
PT Lippo Cikarang was the initial developer of the Meikarta megaproject in Cikarang, Bekasi regency, West Java, before handing it over to PT Mahkota Sentosa Utama.
James' name came into the spotlight during a bribery case related to Meikarta. The mega-project, launched in 2017, was one of Lippo Group's most ambitious property ventures and was claimed to be the largest project by the Riady family business empire.
However, the project faced various challenges, and to date, its future remains uncertain.
In the case, the Bandung Corruption Court sentenced former Bekasi regent Neneng Hasanah Yasin to six years in prison.
Neneng was found guilty of corruption for accepting bribes from the developers. She was also fined Rp 250 million (US$15,489), with an additional four months in prison if unpaid, and stripped of her political rights.
During the investigation, James was summoned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) multiple times, including on Dec. 12, 2019, when he failed to appear.
He had previously been questioned on Oct. 31, 2019, during the investigation into Neneng. The KPK also searched his home on Oct. 18, 2018, seeking evidence related to the case but found none.
