Retired police officer charged in land swindle

JAKARTA (JP): A former police officer is being charged with swindling a businessman of Rp 502,205,000 in a 1992 land transaction.

The prime suspect, identified only as TK, is a retired police officer of the National Police Headquarters. Three other suspects -- HM, ZZ and HK -- are being tried at a different hearing.

According to prosecutor Asri Aziz, the conspiracy started in May of 1992 when suspect TK, 56, went to the office of the Rorotan subdistrict chief, HK, in North Jakarta. TK asked him to issue a letter of recommendation, which stated that the suspect's 8,000 square meter plot of land was not in dispute.

On June 16, 1992, TK -- together with HM and ZZ -- went to meet HK, bringing along various land documents.

HK initially refused to take part. On Sept. 8, however, HK signed a letter written by the suspect.

In September 1992, the suspect went to a notary office on Jl. Cideng Timur, Central Jakarta, to conduct the land transaction with businessman Gunadi Wijaya. The land's 8,000 square meters was appraised at Rp 502,250,000.

Gunadi's staff was rejected when they went to confirm the rights to the land's conversion at the North Jakarta Land Agency, which concluded that the title was false.

"The head of the North Jakarta property tax office said that the document is false; the suspect had changed the initial of the document's owner from 'M' to 'T'," prosecutor Asri said in his indictment.

According to Asri, the plot of land claimed was apparently part of the 23,205 square meter plot designated as state property which had been appropriated by the Ministry of Finance for the Cakung Drainage project on March 31, 1980.

The transaction was terminated on May 23, 1994 before the same notary. The suspect, however, has never returned the transaction money.

The team of judges, led by H.M. Dalail, adjourned the court until next Wednesday. (14)