Officials warned over sale of 'wakaf' land

Officials warned over sale of 'wakaf' land

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): Those involved in the sale of a
wakaf plot of land -- including the Kadu village chief, the
subdistrict chief and an official from the regency's inspectorate
office -- should be held responsible for their actions, the local
administration's spokeswoman said yesterday.

"They should have known all along that the land, which was
donated for religious or community purposes, can not be sold
unless agreed to by all residents," Ena Karlina told The Jakarta
Post.

Ena said the regent has instructed all concerned to review the
sale of the land. She said complete reports on the sale of the
land should be submitted soon to the regent.

"The regent has requested that all financial details regarding
the sale of the land be included in the reports," Ena said.

Last month, a number of villagers filed complaints with the
regent, saying that the land was sold by an influential figure
with the approval of the village chief.

More than 80 villagers have signed a statement questioning the
sale of the 32,250 square meter plot of land by Anjar Azizi. The
land reportedly sold for Rp 100,000 per square meter.

The villagers claimed that the village head, Marta Dinata,
gave Anjar permission to sell the land. They said Marta told
Anjar that all the villagers had agreed to the sale.

"That's a blatant lie. In fact, we are strongly against the
action," one of the villagers said.

Under Islamic law, no one has the right to sell wakaf land
unless it is agreed upon by all concerned.

Another source said Anjar claimed that the money from the
land's sale had been used to purchase another plot of land for
all the villagers. The source added, however, that neither Anjar
nor Marta had informed villagers of the exact location of the
land, nor how much it was purchased for. (18/bas)