Confusion, conflict surround land cases

Confusion, conflict surround land cases

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Agrarian Affairs/Chairman of the National Land Agency (BPN) Soni Harsono admits that he shares in the public's confusion regarding the Supreme Court and a number of their land dispute decisions.

Soni noted that judicial verdicts on lands under dispute often conflict with lower court decisions. "We are sometimes bewildered," he told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto last week.

To illustrate his point, he said lower court judges have repeatedly ruled in favor of plaintiff only to have the Chief Justice overrule in favor of the defendant.

"As a rule, we (BPN) have to comply with the last verdict as the final decision," Soni said as quoted by Antara.

The latest controversy over a Supreme Court ruling occurred last year when 34 families had to surrender their property to make way for a reservoir development project in Kedungombo, Central Java. The families sued the local government in Central Java for higher compensation.

After losing in the high court in the Central Java capital of Semarang, they appealed to the Supreme Court, in Jakarta. The Supreme Court judges overturned the Central Java court decision, gave the farmers their demands and asked the governor to pay several billion rupiah in compensation.

Shortly thereafter, however, the rejoicing came to an abrupt halt when the then Chief Justice, Purwoto S. Gandasubrata, annulled the Supreme Court's verdict that sided with the plaintiff and ruled in favor of the government. (imn)