District head detained for fraud

District head detained for fraud

BEKASI (JP): The Bekasi Prosecutors' Office arrested the
former heads of the Muara Gembong district and Pantai Harapan
Jaya village for allegedly selling 800 hectares of state land.

Chairuman Harahap, head of the Bekasi Prosecutors' Office,
announced yesterday that a warrant, dated Dec. 12, was issued for
IOC, the former district head, and MShl, the former village head.

"They are now being held at the Bulak Kapal correctional
institution," Harahap said.

He said the two suspects had refused to sign the official
detention report so a warrant was issued. "We spent hours waiting
for them to agree to the report," he said.

Harahap said the dossier will be soon sent to the district
court.

The suspects are accused of selling state land in Muara
Gembong, Bekasi, to a private company.

Local farmers, who had fishponds on the 800-hectare plot,
reported the sale to the Bekasi legislative council in April.

IOS allegedly found 400 farmers willing to sell their land for
Rp 2.5 million a hectare, but then only gave the farmers between
Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million for each hectare.

The farmers, who felt cheated, then reported IOS to the
police.

The prosecutors' office seized two buildings, two cars and six
motorbikes believed to have been bought with the money the
suspects made from the swindle.

Private developer, PT Bola Cahaya Biru now owns a 200-ha plot
of the disputed land, while another 600-ha is owned by PT Banjar
Taru Pala Chandratama Gryaland. (12/sur)