Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Special Presidential staff for information Heru Lelono denied that no presidential staff had been involved in a mark-up of a Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane purchase from China.

"It`s almost certain that there is no single policy giving a presidential staff an authority to take a decision on that matter (purchase of plane)," Heru said here on Tuesday.

He said that since his appointment as a special presidential staff in 2004, he had never known a presidential staff by his initials "JW".

"It would be better for those who first disclosed this matter to explain who `JW" is," he said referring to a report by an online media that a presidential special staff known by his initials as JW had been involved in the mark-up of the MA-60 purchase by Merpati from an aircraft industry in China.

An MA-50 aircraft belonging to Merpati crashed in Kaimana Bay, West Papua, during a flight from Sorong to Kaimana on Saturday, killing 27 passengers and crew members.
(Uu.A014/H-NG/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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