Central Java Police Explore Allegations Of Official Involvement In The Land Mafia Case

Dirkrimsus Polda Central Java Kombes Johanson Simamora (left) explained the disclosure of the land mafia crime case in Semarang, Tuesday. (ANTARA/ICSenjaya)

SEMARANG - The Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation of the Central Java Police (Central Java) is still investigating the alleged involvement of officials from the National Land Agency (BPN) in various cases of land mafia crimes that occurred in a number of areas.

"We are still intensively investigating this," said the Director of the Special Criminal Investigation at the Central Java Police, Kombes Johanson Simamora, in Semarang, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 19.

In the past year, there have been 6 cases of alleged criminal acts handled by the Land Mafia Task Force of the Central Java Police.

Of the six cases investigated, Kombes Johanson continued, 12 people have been named suspects.

According to him, the suspects have their respective roles as financiers and intermediaries seeking land.

"However, there has been no involvement of elements of state officials or notaries," he said.

In their action, the suspects in the land mafia case used the mode of falsifying the deed of sale and purchase or the deed of power of attorney to sell or buy.

One of the latest cases handled by the Central Java Regional Police, he continued, was the report of a victim of the land mafia in the Salatiga City area.

According to Kombes Johanson, three people have been named as suspects in the case.

The case stems from a report by a victim who owns 11 land parcels in 2018 who admitted that his land certificate had changed hands without their knowledge.

"In 2016, as many as 11 landowners in Salatiga planned to sell their land to the suspect with the initials ES," he said.

The landowners each received an advance of Rp. 10 million and borrowed the certificate to be checked at BPN.

Over time, the certificate turned out to have been reversed in the name of the suspect AH, who was suspected of being the investor in the purchase of the land.

The certificate that has changed ownership, he continued, is actually used as collateral to the bank which ends up with bad credit.

Johanson said that investigating the alleged land mafia case was quite difficult because it had happened several years ago and several witnesses had died.

The suspects in the alleged mafia realm case were subsequently charged with Article 378 of the Criminal Code on Fraud and Article 266 of the Criminal Code on Document Counterfeiting.