The Attorney General's Office Returns Tangerang Sea Fence Files, Asks To Be Transferred To Corruption

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has returned the file and Notification of the Commencement of Investigation (SPDP) of the Tangerang Sea Pagar case to investigators from the Directorate of General Crimes (Dirtipidum) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police, Monday, April 14, 2025.

The Public Prosecutor's Team at the Deputy Attorney General for General Crimes (Jampidum) assessed that this case was not a general crime, but a criminal act of corruption. Therefore, Jampidum requested that investigators submit the handling of this case to investigators of the Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipikor) of the National Police Headquarters.

The Head of the Marine Pagar Case Research Team, Sunarwan, said that the files sent by investigators on Thursday, April 10, 2025, were not at all different from the files that had previously been returned in March 2025.

"Investigators do not fulfill the instructions we provide, even though according to Article 138 paragraph (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code, investigators are required to comply with the instructions of the public prosecutor," said Sunarwan, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

In March 2025, Jampidum returned the files and SPDP to Dirtipidum because he considered that his party was not authorized to handle this case. The reason is that the Pagar Laut case is strongly suspected to be a corruption case because it involves state officials, including agencies such as the Tangerang National Land Agency (BPN).

However, the Dirtipid investigators still sent the same file again on April 10, this time without the SPDP. "We have returned the SPDP, so they just sent the file," he said.

On Monday, April 14, 2025, the AGO again returned the file. A few hours later, investigators followed the SPDP. "But that afternoon we returned the SPDP," said Sunarwan.

He emphasized that the prosecutor's instructions were very clear. This is not a general crime. This is a corruption case because it involves village heads and other state institutions," he said.

Sunarwan revealed that the forgery carried out by the Kohod Village Head was not an ordinary forgery, but a falsification of information to issue 360 land certificates in the names of 360 residents. As a result, state-owned land has moved to private property.

Later, the 360 certificates were reported to have moved to two companies suspected of being affiliated with the Agung Sedayu Group. Before moving to the company, the status of the Ownership Certificate (SHM) was first changed to a Business Use Rights Certificate (SHGU).

Sunarwan added that the role of the village head was only part of a series of criminal events. There is also the involvement of the verification team that issued these certificates.

"Therefore, Article 263 of the Criminal Code used to ensnare the village head is considered only as an entry point for a wider criminal act of corruption. So, investigations should be transferred to the Kortas Corruption Police Headquarters," he said.

With the return of this SPDP, the AGO firmly stated that the Pagar Laut case was a criminal act of corruption. Because it is not the authority of Jampidum, the investigation was requested to be continued by Kortas Corruption and coordinated with the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus).

For the record, Kortas Corruption was formed by the National Police Chief to accelerate the eradication of corruption. His presence is also the answer to public doubts about the Police's commitment to eradicating corruption