Village chief held over land wrangle

Village chief held over land wrangle

TANGERANG (JP): The current and former village chiefs of
Karangsari in Batuceper district are being held at the local
prosecutor's office over the illegal sale of 12.7 hectares of
state land.

Head of the prosecutor's office, Abdul Hakim Ritonga, said
Saturday that village chief Mustaqim, 45, and the former chief,
Mukri Botek, 54, had been detained since Nov. 24.

"We hope their statements will lead to more suspects in this
case," Ritonga said.

The property belonged to PT Angkasa Pura II, a state-owned
firm that manages Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Several former high-ranking township officials are believed to
have played significant roles in the sale, Ritonga said.

Allegations of the involvement of many local officials in
illegal land transactions and land document processing have
circulated for years. (41/bsr)