Residents exploited by community chief

Residents exploited by community chief

JAKARTA (JP): Twelve residents of Pesanggrahan subdistrict in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, went to local police over the weekend to report the misuse of their signatures for a land appropriation project.

The residents, representing 50 Pesanggrahan residents, told the police on Sunday that the man, identified only as B, used their signatures to collect the compensation money for their land, which the government paid to appropriate for a ring road being built, Antara reported yesterday.

"We never signed a statement regarding land appropriation. We want the case to be dealt with properly and quickly," Padil said.

The residents later learned that the documents signed by B were related to the ring road project and not land compensation.

"The neighborhood chief has cheated us," Padil said, explaining that B was the one who asked the residents to sign the documents.

Letter

He said the fraud was unmasked when the residents learned of a letter sent to the mayor, which included a list of 50 signatures and a statement that the residents had approved the compensation money set by the mayoralty.

"None of us have accepted the compensation," Padil told Antara, without mentioning the amount of compensation set by the mayoralty.

B says he is a member of the presidential palace security guard, a claim few residents believe.

"We have asked at the presidential palace security guard's dormitory on Jl. Tanah Abang II" and they've never heard of him, said one resident. (sur)