Mahfud MD: Land Mafia Practices Have Been Complicated, Involving Court Institutions As Backers

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said that the current practice of land mafia involves many parties, from upstream to downstream. As a result, many people have their rights taken away by irresponsible parties.

"Currently, land mafia practices have occurred and involve various parties from upstream to downstream, including judicial institutions, judges, clerks, and so on. There have been many," said Mahfud at the national seminar 'The Role of the Judicial Commission in Crossing Conflicts over Land Cases' which aired online, Thursday, October 7th.

In fact, alluded to Mahfud, there are land mafias who have accomplices or 'backs' who sit as judges. Thus, their move to control land that is not their right becomes easy. This is not a secret and so public gossip.

Mahfud often receives reports related to the practice of the land mafia in a number of areas in the country. In fact, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court said that he had handled a case where there was a Betawi resident whose land was suddenly occupied by a developer.

"Even though he (the Betawi resident, ed) has lived there for generations, but after being reported by the authorities, he was even detained. He said he was taking land owned by someone else," said Mahfud.

"What is the evidence, other people, the developer has a certificate while he who lives there only has the title of land ownership on his land. There are many like that," he added.

Furthermore, this land mafia practice is also found through a different pattern, namely provoking a handful of people to cultivate or occupy vacant land.

The methods are also varied, such as using thugs to control land objects by fencing, locking, or arranging a building.

With these kinds of practices, Mahfud also asked the Judicial Commission as an external supervisor for judges to join the fight against the land mafia. This work, he continued, must be carried out together with the Supreme Court to be effective.

"Don't forget that sometimes the execution process is already in court, it's true, the execution can't. (People, ed) complain there, they say they can't, they can't go there. Then who should handle this," he concluded.