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)