Residents foiled court's land seizure

TANGERANG: Hundreds of residents in Rawa Mekar Jaya subdistrict, Serpong district, Tangerang, foiled the Tangerang District Court's attempt to seize a one-hectare plot of land, including the site of the subdistrict administration office on Thursday.

"However, this plot of land and the subdistrict administration office are the village's assets. Residents will oppose any attempt to seize them," subdistrict chief Abul Rachim told Serpong district chief Herry Heryanto, court officials, police officers and lawyers who arrived to witness the scheduled seizure on Thursday.

Execution of the court order almost triggered violence when one angry resident beat a court representative who was heading to the subdistrict office to discuss the matter. The resident, named Jamal, was arrested by the police.

The case first came to light when a local resident named Ali Samad lost his claim over the land in a trial at the district court. The Supreme Court overturned the district court's ruling on appeal in 1998. Ali Samad had reportedly received financial backing to see the case through from a man called Joong.

After the implementation of the Supreme Court's verdict, the Tangerang District Court ordered the seizure on behalf of the plaintiff.

"The plaintiff won the case because he bought both Tangerang District Court and Supreme Court officials. I can say this because Supreme Court officials previously came here, asked for Rp 25 million and promised to reject the plaintiff's lawsuit," said Rachim. --JP