Land broker gets 2 years for deception

Theresia Sufa The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Cibinong district court declared on Tuesday land broker Djejen Teteng, 55, guilty of deception and sentenced him to two years in prison.

The verdict was a year shorter than requested by state prosecutors.

Djejen was known as a top land broker in Cisarua district, Bogor regency, West Java. However, he was involved in selling disputed land.

He was brought to court after former business partner Satria Djunaedi reported him for selling land without his consent.

At the trial presided over by Judge Marsudin Nainggolan, Djejen was found guilty of selling 1,500 square meters of land located on Jl. Taman Safari in Cisarua district.

When Satria asked for an explanation, Djejen offered him some land -- a 3,500-square meter plot -- as a substitute, located in Citeko village, also in Cisarua.

But after Satria checked the status of that plot with the National Land Agency (BPN) Bogor office, he learned that it did not belong to Djejen.

Later Djejen promised to give Satria a 20-hectare plot of land in Tugu Utara village, also in Cisarua, but asked Satria to pay an additional Rp 3 billion to Djejen.

In trying to convince Satria, Djejen stressed that former national police chief Rusmanhadi and former military commander Gen. Wiranto also had land in Tugu Utara village.

Satria agreed to take the land after officials of Tugu Utara village and BPN Bogor office confirmed that the land indeed belonged to Djejen.

Satria also agreed to pay installments of an additional Rp 3 billion from 2000 to 2001. The agreement was made in Satria's office at Bank Bumi Daya Plaza, on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, with the first installment being Rp 1 billion.

He, however, learned that the land belonged to the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), prompting him to report Djejen to police.