Claimant to Hotel Sultan Land Presents Dutch Colonial Documents

A new lawsuit has been filed by a man claiming to be the legal heir to the land on which Hotel Sultan stands. Raden Mas (RM) Kusrahardjo, who asserts he is the rightful heir of RM Koesen, has lodged a claim at the Central Jakarta District Court, stating that the land under the hotel still belongs to his family. The claim is based on Eigendom Verponding Number 1684, a land title document issued in 1938 during the Dutch colonial period, covering an area of 420,500 square metres on Jalan Gatot Subroto. The case is registered under number 411/Pdt.G/2026/PN Jkt.Pst. The lawsuit for unlawful acts names PT Indobuildco, owned by Pontjo Sutowo, as well as the State Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, the Head of the Central Jakarta Land Office, and the Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Centre (PPKGBK).

Kharis Sucipto, the legal representative for PPKGBK and the State Secretariat, stated that the case is still in its preliminary stages and his team is currently studying the lawsuit’s material before entering the evidentiary phase. He emphasised that government documents show the land, formerly under Building Use Rights (HGB) 26 and HGB 27, was fully acquired and compensated by the government between 1959 and 1962 for the organisation of the Asian Games. This land subsequently became part of the Gelora Management Right (HPL) No. 1. According to the government, PT Indobuildco was later granted permission to construct a building on a portion of this already state-acquired land.

Kharis further refuted the plaintiff’s reliance on Eigendom Verponding Number 1684, stating that a review of the land acquisition documents held by the Gelora Bung Karno management found no record of this title on the former HGB 26 and HGB 27 plots. The government intends to follow the trial process to its conclusion but maintains that its legal position is robust, citing numerous final and binding court rulings, both civil and administrative, that have affirmed the validity of HPL No. 1/Gelora. This new lawsuit follows the official takeover of Hotel Sultan’s management by the State Secretariat from PT Indobuildco.