President Urged to Probe Alleged Land Mafia Case Involving Tanggamus Regent
JAKARTA - The victim of alleged fraud and embezzlement in land transactions in Curug District, Tangerang Regency, John Gerki Morin, plans to ask President Prabowo Subianto to intervene to pay attention to the handling of the case that he has reported to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police since November 2025.
Through his legal team, John assessed that the legal process of the case that dragged the name of the Regent of Tanggamus, Mohammad Saleh Asnawi, was slow because until now there has been no examination of parties who are considered to have direct involvement in the case.
John's lawyer, Sebastian Salang, said his party would write to President Prabowo because the reported case had not shown significant progress even though it had been running for more than seven months.
"We made a report at the National Police Headquarters since November 2025 and now it is June 2026, this case has not moved at all and Saleh Asnawi has not been summoned, the notary and the Paramount have not been summoned, although this is the most important party to uncover or clarify the situation about this case," said Sebastian in a press conference in Jakarta, Thursday, June 18.
According to Sebastian, the slow handling of the case raised questions on the part of the reporter. Therefore, his party hopes that the central government can pay attention so that the law enforcement process runs professionally and transparently.
"Because the President is actively trying to eradicate the land mafia, so we think cases like this must be encouraged by law enforcement to follow up," he said.
In addition to the President, the legal team also plans to send a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) to ask for attention to the case allegedly involving public officials.
"We also encourage the Ministry of Home Affairs to immediately take steps because this is related to the credibility and integrity of state organizers," said Sebastian.
Not only that, the John Morin party also stated that it would send a letter to the Gerindra Party as the party where Mohammad Saleh Asnawi took refuge.
"We don't just convey this to the media, but we will also send a letter to the President, then because he is from the Gerindra Party, we will also send a letter to the Gerindra Party. We hope that the parties will also seriously respond to their cadres who do things like this," he said.
Sebastian emphasized that his party did not object to the legal steps in the form of a summons sent by the reported party. According to him, all parties have the right to use the available legal mechanisms.
"Yes, we see Asnawi's response as a normal thing. People who we have reported to the National Police Headquarters with allegations of fraud and embezzlement, yes, they usually respond in that way. Toh the legal process will prove it," he said.
On the same occasion, John Gerki Morin expressed his hope that the case would soon receive legal clarity and that his rights as a party who claimed to have been harmed could be restored.
"My hope as a Papuan child, from East Indonesia, I am nobody here, I just ask for justice so that my money is returned," said John.
He admitted that until now he had not received payment for the 2.4-hectare land that was the object of the transaction.
"I have not been paid at all by PT CKMP. The signature of SPH and proof of payment, I hold the payment paper, but there is no money in my account that much," he said.
According to the legal team, this case began with a land sale transaction of 2.4 hectares in Curug District, Tangerang, with a value that is said to reach Rp. 50 billion.
John's other lawyer, Agus Supriatna, explained that the report to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police was filed on November 4, 2025 against Mohammad Saleh Asnawi and Soni Laberta for alleged fraud and embezzlement as stipulated in Articles 378 and 372 of the Criminal Code.
"Both were reported for alleged fraud and embezzlement. The embezzlement value is allegedly Rp50 billion according to the agreement between Soni and Mr. John Morin," said Agus.
According to Agus, the transaction involved PT Cita Karya Manunggal Pratama (CKMP), which is referred to as a subsidiary of Paramount Land, and was carried out through a Deed of Transfer of Rights (APH) signed on December 27, 2023 in front of a notary in Tangerang Regency.
The reporting party suspected that the payment that John Morin was supposed to receive never reached the person concerned. This suspicion is the basis of the criminal report, which is currently still under investigation at the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police.
Meanwhile, the Tanggamus Regent's camp, Mohammad Saleh Asnawi, had previously denied the allegations made by John Gerki Morin and his legal team.
Through his lawyer who has given statements to a number of media, Saleh Asnawi is said to have no legal relationship or involvement in the transaction of the land that is the object of the dispute. His party also assessed that the accusations directed at Saleh Asnawi were unfounded and had harmed his client's reputation.
Saleh Asnawi's lawyer confirmed that the issue in question by the reporter was a personal matter involving parties who carried out transactions directly. Therefore, his party rejects attempts to link Saleh Asnawi with alleged fraud and embezzlement reported to the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police.
In addition to denying all allegations, Saleh Asnawi's camp has also sent a summons to parties who are considered to have spread information that is considered not in accordance with facts and has the potential to tarnish the reputation of his client.
Saleh Asnawi's party stated that it was ready to follow all legal processes that were running and to respect the steps of law enforcement officers in handling the report. Until now, the case reported by John Gerki Morin is still in the investigation stage and there has been no court decision with the force of law regarding the main issues or the parties mentioned in the dispute.