Developer asked about land fraud

JAKARTA (JP): Police have questioned executives of a property developer, along with some Bekasi residents, in connection with the alleged illegal sale of a 20 hectare plot of land.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. K. Ratta said that the developer, identified only as PT HDP, was believed to have purchased the plot located at Pejuang village in West Bekasi through illegal means.

"The land certificates and other related documents were believed to be fake," the one-star general said.

Ratta said that a special team from the Money and Document Counterfeiting unit of the National Police Headquarters are still investigating the validity of the documents.

Police also plan to question a number of Bekasi officials this week.

According to the preliminary investigation, police said an executive of PT HDP, identified only as BG, purchased the plot from the former owners who had reportedly sold the same plot to a man identified as JB, 40.

Upset by the fact that someone else also claimed to have bought the 20 hectare plot of land, JB then took the case to the police who then conducted an investigation into the matter.

The Bekasi Land Agency reportedly issued certificates between 1985 and 1987 under the name of BG, who apparently processed the land documents based on documents he obtained from the landlords who had earlier sold the same plot to JB.

The Bekasi agency reportedly issued certificates for the same plot of land to JB between 1981 and 1984.

JB, police said, had asked the former land owners to oversee and utilize the land for short-period farming with the understanding that they would relinquish it when he needed it.

But the ex-owners claimed to still own the plot and paid property taxes when officials of the local tax office came to the scene for an inspection.

Based on the property tax receipts from the tax office and alleged collusion with officials of the subdistrict and Bekasi Land Agency, the ex-owners of the plot processed new land certificates and then resold the plot to BG who was reportedly convinced the documents were original.

Police believed that the land agency would not have issued a new certificate without the help of corrupt officials.

"We'll question some officials of the subdistrict office and the local land agency as well next week," Ratta said.

None of PT HDP's executives could be reached to comment. (bsr)