New Lawsuit Claims Heir to Hotel Sultan Land in Central Jakarta

The dispute over Hotel Sultan has entered a new chapter. Amid the ongoing eviction process following the government’s takeover of management, a new lawsuit has been filed at the Central Jakarta District Court by a man named Raden Mas (RM) Kusrahardjo, who claims to be the legal heir to the land on which the hotel stands.

The lawsuit is registered under case number 411/Pdt.G/2026/PN Jkt.Pst. In this case, RM Kusrahardjo is suing PT Indobuildco, owned by Pontjo Sutowo, along with several state ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of State Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, the Head of the Central Jakarta Land Office, and the Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Centre (PPKGBK).

Kharis Sucipto, the legal representative for PPKGBK and the Ministry of State Secretariat, explained that the plaintiff, RM Kusrahardjo, claims to be the heir of RM Koesen. This claim forms the basis of the lawsuit over the Hotel Sultan land, which has now resurfaced in court. “Yes, for this case, number 411 Civil 2026, the lawsuit was filed by RM Kusrahardjo against six parties. One of them is PPKGBK and the State Secretariat as the second defendant,” Kharis said when met at the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday (8/7/2026).

According to him, the lawsuit alleges that RM Kusrahardjo is not only the heir but also the holder of land rights based on Eigendom Verponding Number 1684, covering an area of 420,500 square metres on Jalan Gatot Subroto. “From reading the lawsuit, the plaintiff, RM Kusrahardjo, claims to be the heir of RM Koesen. He also claims to be the holder of land rights based on Eigendom Verponding Number 1684, covering an area of 420,500 square metres, located on Jalan Gatot Subroto,” he stated.

Based on the details of the case, the claimed land is alleged to be the site where Hotel Sultan was built. The plaintiff argues that a portion of the land under the Eigendom Verponding was used by PT Indobuildco to construct the hotel. “So, in this case, the plaintiff feels that a part of his Eigendom Verponding land was used by PT Indobuildco to build Hotel Sultan,” he explained.

The defendants in this case include PT Indobuildco; the State of the Republic of Indonesia c.q. the State Secretariat, c.q. the Minister of State Secretary; the State of the Republic of Indonesia c.q. the Ministry of Finance, c.q. the Minister of Finance; the State of the Republic of Indonesia c.q. the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, c.q. the Minister of ATR/Head of BPN; the Head of the Central Jakarta Land Office; and the State of the Republic of Indonesia c.q. the Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Centre (PPKGBK).

PPKGBK: Land Was Acquired by the State Between 1959 and 1962

However, PPKGBK and the Ministry of State Secretariat stressed that the lawsuit is still under review. The government, Kharis said, will examine the evidence the plaintiff presents in court. “So, this is still at an early stage. We are still studying it and will certainly look at what evidence the plaintiff uses in this case,” Kharis said.

He asserted that, based on documents held by GBK and the State Secretariat, the land that now constitutes the former Right to Build (HGB) 26 and former HGB 27 was fully acquired by the government long before Hotel Sultan was built. The acquisition took place between 1959 and 1962 for the purpose of hosting the Asian Games and became part of Land Management Right (HPL) No. 1/Gelora. “Yes, as the legal counsel for GBK and the State Secretariat, what we can convey is that, from all the documents at GBK and the State Secretariat, the former HGB 26 and former HGB 27 were entirely acquired by the government between 1959 and 1962. The government acquired and compensated for all of it,” he said.

“The land acquisition period was from 1959 to 1962 for the needs of the Asian Games, the entire HPL No.1/Gelora,” he continued.

Kharis added that a portion of HPL No. 1/Gelora, which had been acquired by the government, was later granted permission to PT Indobuildco to erect a building. Therefore, according to PPKGBK and the Ministry of State Secretariat, the plot of land is land that was already acquired and directly compensated for by the state. “A portion of HPL 1/Gelora that had been acquired by the government was given permission to PT Indobuildco to erect a building with government approval. That includes the plot of land that the government had already acquired and directly compensated for,” Kharis said.

He also mentioned that from the land acquisition documents carefully stored by GBK, there is no record of Eigendom Verponding Number 1684 being registered on the plots of former HGB 26 or former HGB 27. “And from the documents we have reviewed, because GBK carefully stores all land acquisition documents, there is no Eigendom 1684 registered on the land plots of former HGB 26 or former HGB 27,” he said.

Government Claims HPL No. 1/Gelora Has Been Repeatedly Declared Valid

The government also emphasised that this new lawsuit does not automatically change the legal status of the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) land. According to Kharis, HPL No. 1/Gelora has been repeatedly declared valid through court rulings with permanent legal force, both in civil and administrative jurisdictions. “So, whatever happens in the trial, we will follow the process. We will see what evidence the plaintiff presents. And if the validity of HPL 1/Gelora is questioned, there have been many rulings with permanent legal force, both civil and administrative, which state that HPL 1/Gelora is valid,” he asserted. “Therefore, these rulings will certainly serve as a legal basis in this case.”