TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Jakarta administration bought its own land of 4.6 hectare, which is located in the Outer Ring Road Cengkareng, West Jakarta, for Rp648 billion on November 13 last year.
The price was agreed by Jakarta Housing and Building Office and the seller at Rp14.1 million per square meter, despite the sale value of the tax object (NJOP) was at Rp6.2 million. “And the land owner is [Jakarta] Marine Affairs, Agriculture and Food Security Office,” said Merry Erna Harni, Head of Jakarta Inspectorate, last week.
The land acquisition for low-cost apartments was being noted by the Supreme Audit Agency in the audit of 2015 budget which was being exposed early June 2016. Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama had alluded to corruption practice in the acquisition. “There’s some kind of mafia involvement,” he said on Thursday, June 27, 2016 after a meeting with the BPK.
Basuki had asked the Inspectorate to investigate further. After questioning village head, sub-district head and the officials of Jakarta Housing Office, Mery Erna learned that the administration had owned the land since 1967. The government was slow to make the certificate of title as businessman D.L. Sitorus, owner of private company PT Sabar Ganda, claimed the land on 2007. Sitorus and the government had filed dueling lawsuits against each other, until the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jakarta administration in 2010.
Four years later, Toeti Noezlar Soekarno claimed that she had the certificate of title. She then offered to sell the land to the administration at market price of Rp17.5 million in June. Housing Department and Toeti, represented by Rudi Hartono Iskandar, agreed to a price of Rp14.1 million.
According to Mery, Jakarta Housing Office should have checked the status of the land before agreeing to buy it. Moreover, the land had been registered as an asset of Jakarta administration despite the absence of the certificate of title.
Head of Jakarta Marine Affairs, Agriculture and Food Security Office Darmajuni confirmed that the land is owned by his office. “During the acquisition, we were not being informed at all,” he said. The head of Jakarta Housing Office Ika Lestari Adji declined to explain the issue. “Sorry,” she said.
The issue has prompted Governor Basuki to fire of West Cengkareng Village head and a number of officials in the Housing Department. He has asked the BPK to investigate the notary public who conducted the acquisition. Jakarta administration had paid the notary public Rp6 billion in the acquisition on the account of 1 percent of transaction value. “It’s crazy,” Ahok said.
Ahok had reported the alleged corruption in the land acquisition to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and police. He suspected the acquisition was carried out using forged documents. “The data is in the BPK,” he said.
ERWAN HERMAWAN | FRISKI RIANA
