Land scam investigated

Land scam investigated

TANGERANG (JP): The local prosecutor's office has questioned
several people, including Cukanggalih subdistrict head Endang
Suparman, over alleged malfeasance in the sale of a four-hectare
plot of land in the subdistrict.

One of the office's prosecutors who asked not to be named said
that several other officials, including Curug district head
Slamet Setiawan, would also be summoned to provide statements.

The prosecutor's office became aware of possible wrongdoing
when landowners in Cukanggalih subdistrict complained that they
had not received full compensation for their land bought by the
head of Bencongan subdistrict with funds resulting from a barter
deal with development company Lippo Karawaci.

Under the barter deal, the developer bought four hectares of
land from the Bencongan subdistrict for Rp 2 billion
(US$235,295). The Bencongan subdistrict, in turn, used the money
from the deal to buy four hectares of land in Cukanggalih
subdistrict, where it will build boarding houses.

The prosecutor said that Endang had admitted during
questioning that Cukanggalih subdistrict had yet to pay Rp 300
million to the landowners.

The prosecutor explained that the sale of the land was marked
by several violations. "A subdistrict official secretly took Rp
5,000 from the sale of each square meter of the land so that in
total he managed to cash in about Rp 200 million," he said.

Residents of Bencongan subdistrict hope that the questioning
by the prosecutor's office will speed up the conclusion of the
barter deal. (41)