Serang District Prosecutor's Office Detains Six Officials and Former Head of BPN Over Gratification

Serang District Prosecutor’s Office has formally detained six officials and a former official, including the former Head of the Serang City Land Office in Banten Province, in connection with alleged corruption involving gratuities in land-document processing worth more than Rp2 billion, spanning from 2021 to 2026. The Head of the Serang District Prosecutor’s Office, Dado Achmad Ekroni, in Serang, on Wednesday, confirmed the detention occurred after investigators secured strong evidence, including witness statements, documents, and electronic traces. ‘All of them have been named suspects in the alleged corruption regarding the processing of permissions at the Serang City Land Office that took place between 2021 and 2026,’ he said. Investigators also named two other officials, AD as Head of Substantive Survey and Mapping, and GW as Head of the Survey and Mapping Section. Dado explained that the corrupt practice was split into two clusters, namely the PHP Section and the Survey and Mapping Section. The suspects are suspected of abusing their authority by requesting money outside the official Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) tariff. The modus operandi involved unofficial charges to applicants for land services, ranging from Rp250,000 to Rp500,000 per applicant. ‘The total amount obtained from these illegal acts is estimated to exceed Rp2 billion. The money was used by the suspects to benefit themselves or others,’ he said. Regarding the offences, suspects TR, PG, AM, and DM are charged under Article 12(e) of Law No. 20 of 2001 on the Eradication of Corruption. Meanwhile AD and GW face charges under the same article, joined by Article 605(2) of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Indonesian Penal Code. The six suspects have been remanded to the Serang Class IIB State Detention Centre for 20 days, from 20 May to 8 June. ‘The detention is necessary due to the potential maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and concerns that the suspects could flee, destroy evidence, or repeat the offence,’ concluded Dado.