Extortion Of PTSL Management, Head Of Mojosari Lumajang Village Arrested By Police

The Lumajang Resort Police, East Java, named a Mojosari Village head with the initials GS and the head of the local village government section with the initials IF for allegedly making illegal levies on the creation of land certificates for the processing of Complete Systematic Land Registration (PTSL).

"Both of them were secured by the Lumajang Police Satreskrim Corruption Unit after the demonstration residents asked for money from the PTSL management," said Lumajang Police Chief AKBP Boy Jeckson Situmorang, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 30.

According to him, the modus operandi used by the two suspects was that in 2023 Mojosari Village, Sumbersuko District received 500 PTSL programs from the National Land Agency (BPN), then socialization was carried out by BPN accompanied by the Police, the Inspectorate Prosecutor's Office regarding the procedures for managing PTSL with various provisions.

"In the process, the village head and the village head of the Mojosari village government oblige PTSL applicants to make land certificates as one of the requirements, even though the rules are not required to have a land certificate for recipients of the PTSL program," he said.

He explained that the two suspects violated the rules, so they made illegal levies for administering land certificates to local villagers with varying nominal costs, ranging from Rp. 2.25 million to Rp. 11.1 million per plot of land.

"There are 111 people who have made land certificates out of 271 plots of land and their party has examined 71 witnesses as pioneers, village officials or community group teams as many as 18 people and operator 2 people," he said.

Boy said investigators had also examined five experts, namely the Regional Tax and Levy Agency (BPRD), the field of law, inspectorates, the Community and Village Empowerment Service (DPMD), and BPN.

From the results of the investigation, the deed issuance process through PPATS sub-districts was carried out not according to procedures because it did not go through the field verification process and there was no payment of the Lumajang Regency BPRD tax.

"Until now, as many as 88 applicants have registered the deed issuance process so that the total state losses reach Rp195 million," he said.

He explained that from the results of the examination, there may be a new suspect from the development of the alleged land deed extortion case, but investigators are still investigating the role of the person concerned and sufficient evidence.

"Currently, we will conduct a follow-up case to determine new suspects and just wait for the results of the investigation to be carried out by investigators," he said.

The evidence that was secured was 88 land certificates made by PPATS, 2 notebooks for PTSL recipients, 1 computer for deed making, receipt of money from the community to village heads and Rp72.2 million in cash.

For their actions, these two suspects were charged with Article 12 letter e of Law no. 31 of 1999 concerning the eradication of criminal acts of corruption as amended by Law number 20 of 2001 concerning amendments to Law no. 31 of 1999 concerning the eradication of criminal acts of corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code with a penalty of 4 to 20 years in prison.