PLN ready to face lawsuit from Bukaka
Monday, July 24 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
State-owned electricity firm PLN is ready to face the lawsuit from PT Bukaka Teknik Utama for its decision to cancel the $75 million transmission project that was won by Bukaka.
PLN president Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said that his party was currently preparing itself to face the lawsuit that was registered with the Jakarta Administrative Court on July 5.
"We will entertain the lawsuit, we are ready," he said.
Bukaka president Ahmad Kalla said Saturday that Bukaka had fulfilled all the required documents and the court had accepted the suit and would start hear the case on Monday.
Ahmad said his party was compelled to file the lawsuit after its warning letters to PLN were not answered properly.
Besides PLN, Bukaka also sued Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie who - according to Bukaka - is responsible for the issuance of letter No. S-126/200 that orders the re-tendering of the transmission project.
Bukaka has appointed Ali Abbas as its lawyer. Ali Abbas is the lawyer of the Kalla family.
Meanwhile, Kwik is reportedly to use legal experts form the Attorney General's Office and his private lawyer.
Ahmad said that the lawsuit will go ahead despite President Abdurrahman Wahid's apology for his dismissal of two ministers, including former minister of industry and trade Yusuf Kalla, Ahmad's brother.
Bukaka's winning of the transmission project was one of a number of corruption, collusion and nepotism practices that were leveled by Abdurrahman against Yusuf Kalla that prompted the President to fire Yusuf from his Cabinet. (*)