Eradicating Land Mafia Practices
Various efforts have been undertaken to eradicate land mafia practices. However, instead of stopping corrupt practices in the land administration process, cases are actually increasing. As reported in the mass media, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named eight individuals as suspects in an alleged corruption case involving land or the administration of Building Use Rights (HGB) in Bogor Regency, West Java.
These fraudulent practices in land administration have implicated trusted associates of the Minister of ATR/BPN, the Head of the Bogor Regency Land Office I, and even the President Director of PT Summarecon Agung. The Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufcal, revealed this during a press conference broadcast live on Tuesday evening, 15 September 2026. This land mafia case was uncovered following a sting operation (OTT) by the KPK, where 19 individuals were detained by investigators across the Jabodetabek area.
It is believed that irregularities in land permit issuance are not limited to Bogor. It is highly probable that in other regions undergoing development into industrial, office, and modern residential areas, fraudulent practices in HGB administration still frequently occur on varying scales. In areas being developed into modern cities, land has transformed into a highly valuable commodity. Collusion growing between corrupt bureaucrats, land brokers, greedy corporations, and law enforcement officials often exploits the business permit process as an object of extortion.
Main Factors
Corruption in the issuance, extension, and transfer of HGB in various regions has arguably developed into a structured, systematic, and massive system. For the community, land is a living space, an identity, and a future heritage. However, for corporations, land is often a commercial commodity traded for profit.
So far, land mafia practices have been so difficult to eradicate because the root of the problem lies in the complex bureaucracy of land administration. Land mafias do not operate in isolation. They operate within a criminal ecosystem that brings together financiers, legal service providers, brokers, and officials within government institutions at various levels.
The primary factor allowing land mafia networks to persist over time is the principle of mutual benefit, or a symbiotic relationship between the mafia and public officials. Property developers certainly require rapid legality to secure investments and obtain bank loans. Meanwhile, corrupt bureaucrats require cash payments to enrich themselves, fund luxurious lifestyles, or finance political positions. On the other hand, internal supervision within the National Land Agency (BPN) is often ineffective because the supervisors themselves often enjoy the flow of illicit funds from these entrepreneurs.
Based on experience, it is impossible for a fake or duplicate land certificate to be issued without the involvement—either active or passive due to negligence—of officials within the Ministry of Agraria and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), village or sub-district officials, notaries/PPAT, and law enforcement officials.
When bureaucratic officials, who should be serving and facilitating the rights of the people, instead initiate taking profits behind the community’s helplessness, no matter how strong the law is, it will inevitably be breached and exploited for personal interests. The involvement of ‘insiders’ in institutions with the authority to issue land permits provides formal legal legitimacy to actions that are substantially illegal. Consequently, small-scale citizens who lack access to power and financial capital are certain to lose when facing official documents held by the mafia. Instances of land mafias forcibly seizing land belonging to others have occurred repeatedly across the country.
In many cases, land mafia perpetrators typically use fake land deeds, fictitious ‘girik’ (customary land documents), or manipulate historical ownership documents. However, in today’s digital postmodern era, these land mafia actors are even capable of forging authentic documents, filing fictitious lawsuits in court, and exploiting legal loopholes in the Systematic Land Registration (PTSL) process.
Learning from experience, one of the most vulnerable points often exploited is vacant, abandoned, or land belonging to elderly citizens who lack legal understanding. With documents that are ‘suddenly’ complete and valid on paper, land mafias are able to reverse the ownership status of others’ land to their own. Ironically, the victims, who are the original owners, are often shocked to find that their land has been transferred or executed by the court without them ever knowing about the dispute process. Such cases occur not only in peripheral areas but also frequently on prime city centre lands belonging to those without strong legal access.
Enforcing Justice
Eradicating corrupt practices in the land permit process, particularly those involving officials within the Ministry of ATR/BPN, certainly cannot be achieved overnight. This is a long-term war that demands extraordinary political courage from the nation’s top leadership and law enforcement agencies. Without strong political will from the President and the presiding Ministers, all eradication programs will merely become seasonal political commodities ahead of elections.
Cleaning the ATR/BPN institution from the contamination of corruption is not just about improving government administrative governance, but is a strenuous effort to restore human dignity and…