2,000 fake land certificates

2,000 fake land certificates

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta office of the National Land Agency (BPN) has found about 2,000 fake land certificates since 1970, said Sunar, the head of the office, to Antara.

The fake certificates were uncovered when land buyers were trying to confirm the legality of a land certificate for a plot they wanted to buy through his office.

Speaking at a working conference with members of the City Council on Monday evening, Sunar said that the 2,000 fake documents were part of the 900,000 land certificates issued by his office in the period between 1960 and 1995.

He said that out of the 650 square-kilometer area in the city, only 30 percent is documented with certificates.

The low level of certification, according to Sunar, is the result of many plots of lands being occupied illegally by squatters and others whose certificates have been lost or are being disputed. (hhr)