Attorney General: Eradication Of Land Mafia Must Be From Upstream

Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin/kan (ANTARA)

Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said that the eradication of the land mafia in addition to giving firm action must also be taken from upstream, namely registering all land parcels in Indonesian territory.

"To be able to eradicate land mafia practices, maximum efforts are needed to start from upstream, namely by registering all land parcels in Indonesian territory and issuing certificates for land that meet the requirements," said Burhanuddin in his statement while attending the Coordination Meeting for Prevention and Settlement of Land Crimes, organized by the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning / National Land Agency (ATR / BPN) in Jakarta as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, November 8.

Therefore, Burhanuddin invited the ranks of the Ministry of ATR/BPN not to hesitate or hesitate to collaborate with the Prosecutor's Office. Especially since January 21, 2020 ago, the Indonesian Attorney General's Office and the Ministry of ATR/BPN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding Number 1/SKB-HK.03.01/I/2020 Jo. Number 11 of 2020 concerning Coordination and Cooperation in Tasks and Functions in the Context of Law Enforcement and Asset Recovery in the fields of Agrarian/Land and Spatial Planning.

According to Burhanuddin, the disputes and land conflicts that often arise in Indonesia, are mostly masterminded by the land mafia. The problem involves groups trying to benefit from land that is not their right.

"They commit crimes in the land sector by unlawfully obtaining land rights illegally and deviate from the provisions of the applicable laws," he said.

Then, he said, land mafia syndicates work in an organized, neat and systematic manner so that they are able to hide the real facts. For this reason, eradicating the land mafia promoted by the government requires a different special approach in its resolution.

He explained that the main modes that are often used by land mafia syndicates are document forgery, illegal land occupation (without rights), engineering evidence to seek legality in court, collusion with officials, conspiracy with brokers, and so on.

"The land mafia syndicate that is rooted in various lines, makes us have to establish closer cooperation in order to resolve the chaos of land problems in Indonesia," said Burhanuddin.

According to him, firm action needs to be taken for land mafia perpetrators who are proven to have committed land crimes such as forgery, fraud, embezzlement, bribery, gratuities, and money laundering. Sanctions are also given to the officers involved, both with disciplinary sanctions and criminal sanctions.

In addition, firm action is also needed in the form of revocation of permits for individuals from the Land Deed Making Officer (PPAT) who are proven to be involved in the land mafia network.

"Essentially don't give space for land mafia syndicates. Fight it thoroughly!," said Burhanuddin.

Burhanuddin also invited the ranks of the Ministry of ATR/BPN in the regions not to hesitate to coordinate with prosecutors in the regions, especially regarding the settlement of land conflicts or eradicating the land mafia.

For information, the Prosecutor's Office has also formed a Land Mafia Eradication Team based on Order Number: Prin-8/A/JA/01/2022. Since its formation until now, the Land Mafia Eradication Team has received 669 complaints, most of which have been followed up.

Ending his remarks, Burhanuddin as the head of the Indonesian Prosecutor's Office, committed and invited all relevant elements to work together for the advancement of quality law enforcement, justice, certainty and benefit.

Once again, I congratulate the Land Crime Prevention and Settlement Task Force which has been responsible and perpendicular to its duties and authorities. In the future, your responsibility will be heavier because of the complex problems you will face," said Burhanuddin.