Officials implicated in land sell-off

Officials implicated in land sell-off

TANGERANG (JP): The local prosecutor's office is investigating
the alleged roles of senior officials in the illegal sale of
almost 974 hectares of state land in the Legok and Serpong
subdistricts.

Funds totaling about Rp 23 billion (US$7.19 million) from the
sell-off may have been used by officials in charge of land issues
for their own benefit, the head of the office's intelligence
section, Pudji Basuki Setijono, said yesterday.

"We'll probe this case thoroughly," he said, adding that at
least 14 government employees from related offices have been
questioned.

The property belonged to PT Perkebunan Karet Nasional, a
state-owned rubber plantation company, which had 185.53 hectares
of land in Legok and 788.44 hectares in Serpong, Pudji said.

The land has been sold to various parties since 1982 at a
price of between Rp 616 and Rp 2,000 per square meter, he said.

Both areas have been converted from rubber plantations to real
estates with sophisticated facilities, including a golf course.

The prosecutor's office became aware of the sell-off after a
man, identified as Tan Siu Ek, came to the office claiming that
his great-grandparent's land was illegally occupied by another
party. (41/bsr)