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City government files lawsuit against supplier of rusty buses
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Hundreds of rusty but unused buses were found abandoned in a field in Dramaga, Bogor regency, West Java, as seen on July 26. (kompas.com/Kristianto Purnomo)
T
he discovery of at least 300 rusty abandoned buses bearing Transjakarta logos in a field in Dramaga subdistrict, Bogor, West Java has led the Jakarta city government to file a lawsuit against the companies that supplied them in 2013.
In 2015, a district court found the former head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Udar Pristono, guilty in a craft case. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for accepting Rp 78 million (US$5,566) in bribes from the companies that were awarded the bus procurement tenders.
In May 2017, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) issued a report after assessing the procurement process.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said the BPK made two recommendations to the Jakarta city government concerning the case -- to take back the money given as a down payment for the buses, or if that fails to file a lawsuit.
He said the agency had attempted to collect 20 percent of the total contract price of Rp 110.2 million that it has disbursed to several companies that won procurement contracts.
“Until early this year, [those companies] had not returned the down payment money. Consequently, we had to choose the second recommendation, which is to take legal action [against them],” Syafrin said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.
The agency has sought assistance from the Jakarta administration’s legal bureau to file the lawsuit. Syafrin emphasized that the abandoned buses were the responsibility of the supplier as the administration never received nor used them.
“Our further action will depend on the legal bureau’s recommendation,” said Syafrin. However, the head of the Jakarta Legal Bureau, Yayan Yuhanah, declined to comment as the bureau was still studying the plans for the lawsuit. (das/bbn)
