Rp5.7 trillion saved from land mafia: AHY

The government has successfully tackled land mafia cases that could have resulted in a loss of Rp5.7 trillion (US$352 million) for Indonesia, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning (ATR) Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) said.

During the signing of a cooperation agreement between the ATR Ministry and National Police (Polri), he noted that the government managed to handle half of the approximate 80 land mafia cases targeted this year.

He said he reviewed the results of investigations into such cases in several regions, such as Southeast Sulawesi, Central Java, East Java, and Jambi provinces.

The minister added that the ATR Ministry has been working in synergy with law enforcement agencies, including Polri and the Attorney General's Office, to serve justice to all landowners in the country.

President Joko Widodo has been pushing his aides in the government to ensure that no citizen is deprived of the right to justice, he said.

AHY added that his ministry will strive to intensify efforts to deal with land-related conflicts and disputes, with a special focus on preventive actions.

"If prevention is viable, then why not resort to it? In the event it is not possible, we will not hesitate to take firm actions in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations," he said.

Meanwhile, chair of the anti-land mafia task force, Arif Rachman, said that this year, the government successfully pinned down 40 people suspected of being involved in land mafia cases.

"We have also secured land parcels covering 220 thousand hectares in total. Moreover, some cases involved land parcels belonging to the Polri in East Java province and also in Manado city, North Sulawesi," he revealed.