From Stroke to Death

Getting caught up in the crimes of land mafia consumes time, energy and thinking. Some of the victims have even died before they could reclaim their assets.

KOMPAS/KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU

Tono Amboro and Ratna Kartika\'s house on Jalan Ciledug Raya, South Jakarta, Monday (29/3/2021). The married couple Tono and Ratna were targeted by the land mafia coordinated by someone with the initials DR. The couple died when the investigation of the case was incomplete.

Getting caught up in the crimes of land mafia consumes time, energy and thinking. Being deceived into buying and selling property assets worth billions of rupiah, along with the difficulty of uncovering these cases due to the criminals’ ability to cover up their crimes, has caused a number of their victims to fall ill. Some have even died before they could reclaim their assets.

"Because of the land cases, Mr. and Mrs. Tono died," Efri Jhonly said at his home in Serpong, South Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday (30/3/2021). Johnly was the lawyer of Tono Amboro, one victim of the land mafia.

The story began when Tono Amboro was preparing to sell his house. Not having any children, the retired police officer lived together with his wife, a former stewardess on the presidential plane during the era of president Soekarno. In their old age, the couple deemed that the 1,570-square-meter house on Jl. Ciledug Raya in Ulujami, Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta, was too large for them.

Because of the land cases, Mr. and Mrs. Tono died

So they put their beautiful house on the market at a price of Rp 25 billion. In early 2017, DR, a member of the land mafia took advantage of the opportunity, pretending to be a buyer and introducing himself to the couple as FZ.

DR then paid Rp 500 million to Tono as a down payment in order to gain his trust. In exchange, Tono handed over the house deed as requested to DR, who claimed he needed to get the deed’s authenticity checked at the National Land Agency (BPN).

Instead of verifying the deed, DR secretly altered it so the house became the property of FZ, his alias. He then altered it yet again to the ownership of someone called Nur, essentially removing Tono’s legal ownership of the house where he still lived.

KOMPAS/KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU

Transfer of rights in the title of ownership (SHM) of Tono Amboro\'s house and land on Jalan Ciledug Raya, South Jakarta. The transfer process was not appropriate for the land mafia syndicate led by DR to take Tono Amboro\'s property.

Fake address

Tono’s family was left without news as they waiting for further payments to complete the sale. The address “FZ” had given to the Tono also appeared to be fake. The family’s anxiety escalated when they checked the status of the deed to the property, which was never returned to them. The BPN told them that the ownership of Tono Amboro\'s property had been changed.

Tono and his family immediately took legal action. After a long process, the judicial panel presiding the case at the Tangerang District Court issued a verdict against DR on 16 April 2019. On appeal, the Banten High Court upheld the district court’s verdict on 31 May 2019.

Also read: Strengthening the land bill

Despite winning the case, the property ownership was not immediately reverted to Tono Amboro. The case took up his time and attention, and Tono\'s health continued to deteriorate until he died in August 2019 at the age of 85.

After Tono Amboro’s death, his wife Ratna Kartika, who was 70 at the time, continued with the efforts to reclaim ownership to the couple’s home, filing another report at the National Police’s

Kompas

Efri Jhonly, Lawyer of the Tono Amboro family

Criminal Investigation Unit. However, the complications of the case took a toll on Ratna’s health. She died a year and a month after her husband in September 2020.

"Mrs. Tono thought [constantly] about her asset. She was old. [She had] a lot of things on her mind. [She was] also sad and stressed from being cheated,” said Jhonly.

After Ratna’s death, her police report also failed. The couple’s house then passed to the next of kin, who rehired Jhonly as their legal counsel to sell the house.

According to Jhonly, the original deed was located with a group led by a man identified as TP, who had allegedly funded Nur to obtain the deed from DR. Jhonly said that Nur was found to be none other than TP’s driver.

Also read: Land Governance after Job Creation Law

With Jhonly’s mediation, Tono Amboro’s family and TP reached a compromise, agreeing to find a new buyer for the house for which the price was set at Rp 20 billion. They also agreed that the proceeds from the house’s sale would be divided between Tono’s family and TP, who was to receive a share as compensation for the various costs incurred during the time the deed was in his name.

Land mafia also created problems for the family of Dian, a resident of Kebagusan, South Jakarta. In January 2017, Dian\'s husband made plans on her behalf to sell the house, which measured thousands of square meters and was located in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta. The selling price was set at Rp 180 billion.

KOMPAS/KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU

Hartanto, Dian R\'s lawyer in the case of transfer of property rights by the land mafia when met in Jakarta, Tuesday (23/3/2021). Ownership of property belonging to Dian and her family is now problematic.

Dian and her family were then approached by two people who claimed they were interested in buying the house and the land it stood on. The family was then introduced to an “investor” who wanted to buy the property. This investor was said to be from one of the country’s most respected families.

An agreement was reached during the meeting for an advance payment of Rp 24 billion. The remaining Rp 156 billion would be paid by bank cheque.

But instead of paying the full price, the investor manipulated the deed to the property after paying the down payment and obtaining the deed, becoming the property’s legal owners.

They are stressed and crying. They are powerless to fight [for their property].

The investor even sent a summons to the de facto owner of the house. Now, a sign bearing the name of the “new owner” has been installed at the landed house in the strategic location. The property is also been safeguarded by the investor’s accomplices.

This incident caused the real owner to fall into depression.

"A family member even suffered a stroke [as a result]. They are stressed and crying. They are powerless to fight [for their property]," said Hartanto, Dian\'s lawyer.

Deceit

KOMPAS/KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU

Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dino Patti Djalal explaining a number of frauds by the land mafia targeting three of his mother\'s properties in South Jakarta, Wednesday (31/3/2021).

The perpetrators of such schemes take advantage of their victims’ vulnerability. One fraudster is targeting elderly victims. Apart from Tono Amboro\'s family, Zurni Hasjim Djalal (84), the mother of the former deputy foreign minister, Dino Patti Djalal, was also targeted by a land mafia. At least three property deeds that belonged to her fell into the hands of land mafia.

Dino acknowledged that his mother\'s memory was not as strong as it used to be. “My mother has many houses because she has been in the property business for 40 years. In the last few years, there have been rogue brokers aiming to get ahold of these deeds,” he said during an interview on Wednesday (31/3).

The government must be aware of this.

Dino admitted that investigating his mother’s case would be a tough and long road. He suspected that the perpetrators were extremely versed in how to circumvent the judicial system.

Dino feels fortunate that his status as an official and a public figure has meant that authorities have heard and responded quickly to his complaints over his mother’s property. However, many people out there are being deceived and still waiting to settle their land ownership cases.

"Many victims do not understand the land mafia’s game or the legal process. The government must be aware of this," he said.

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko.