Ongoing Legal Battle: State Versus Pontjo Sutowo Over Hotel Sultan
The land dispute centring on Block 15 in the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex, where the Hotel Sultan is located, appears set to continue indefinitely.
Pontjo Sutowo’s camp, through PT Indobuildco, the company managing Hotel Sultan, continues to resist and pursue various legal remedies to prevent the state’s planned execution through the State Secretariat Ministry (Kemensesneg).
Most recently, the Central Jakarta District Court conducted a constatation process—a verification and matching of the execution object—at Block 15 of the GBK complex on Monday, 17 March 2026.
This constatation activity was undertaken to confirm the boundaries and condition of the land plot forming part of the request for execution in the Hotel Sultan land dispute case.
The constatation process was carried out based on the directive of the Chief Justice of the Central Jakarta District Court regarding the land object of former Land Use Rights (HGB) Number 26/Gelora and former HGB Number 27/Gelora in the Gelora Bung Karno area.
The field inspection commenced with matching the land boundaries at the corner points of the land plot as outlined in the map and land documents.
The matching was intended to ensure that the object for which execution was sought in the Hotel Sultan dispute corresponded with the physical conditions on the ground.
Rakhmadi Afif Kusumo, Director of the Gelora Bung Karno Complex Management Centre (PPKGBK), emphasised that the land currently occupied by Hotel Sultan is state-owned property.
Based on the court’s decision concerning the status of the Hotel Sultan land, Rakhmadi stated that the execution process could proceed despite legal opposition from Indobuildco.
“From our perspective, we hold that this is now final in the sense that it is state property, meaning this property has become state property. The directive from the Kemensetneg leadership is naturally how to secure this state property,” Rakhmadi said in Jakarta on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
Rakhmadi stated that PPKGBK, acting as Kemensetneg’s representative, permits Pontjo Sutowo to pursue further legal remedies following his loss at the Central Jakarta District Court in the continuing Hotel Sultan dispute.
“As for legal opposition, we permit it of course, but certainly what has become the final decision must also be respected and we must implement it promptly,” Rakhmadi said.
Not long ago, the Jakarta High Administrative Court (PTUN) also annulled the first-instance decision in the land dispute case over the former HGB Hotel Sultan property.
In Decision Number 13/B/2026/PT.TUN.JKT, the judges’ panel accepted the appeal filed by the State Secretariat Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia as first appellant and the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex Management Centre (PPK GBK) as second appellant.