PRIME NEWS POST 

The INDONESIAN (West Manggarai)– The long-running land dispute scandal in Keranga, Labuan Bajo, has escalated further, following an official acknowledgment from the Labuan Bajo Sub-district Administration that a customary land deed dated October 21, 1991, issued in the name of Beatrix Seran Nggebu — wife of the late Nikolaus Naput — does not match the actual location and boundaries of the land on the ground.

This admission has raised strong suspicions that the document was problematic from the outset and may have served as one of the root causes of the prolonged agrarian conflict in the area. The case also involves the issuance of five Certificates of Ownership (SHM) and four Measurement Sketches (GU), which are currently under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police.

The acknowledgment is formally stated in a Revocation Letter issued by the Labuan Bajo Sub-district Administration on May 6, 2026, and signed directly by Labuan Bajo Head of Sub-district, Vinsensius Taso, S.Pd.

“This revocation letter also annuls Letter of Reference No. PEM 593/470/VI/2025, which previously confirmed the existence of the 1991 customary land transfer document,” said Jon Kadis, SH, legal counsel for the children of the late Ibrahim Hanta, in a press statement released in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, on Thursday, June 14, 2026.

He added that this revocation has drawn serious public attention, as the earlier Letter of Reference No. PEM 593/470/VI/2025 was previously considered to validate the legal standing of the customary land claim. That document is suspected of being linked to the issuance of the five Certificates of Ownership and four Measurement Sketches in Keranga — documents now under police investigation.

“In the 2025 reference letter, a copy of which was obtained by this media outlet, the Labuan Bajo Sub-district Administration stated that there was a Customary Land Transfer Deed dated October 21, 1991. The document was signed by Haji Ishaka and Haku Mustafa, then Customary Leaders of Nggorang, in favor of Beatrix Seran Nggebu,” Jon Kadis explained.

The deed describes the customary land located in Golo Kerangan, Labuan Bajo, with the following boundaries:

1. North: Bordering land belonging to Don Amput
2. South: Bordering land belonging to the Manggarai Social Development Foundation
3. East: Bordering customary land
4. West: Bordering land belonging to Nikolaus Naput

However, new findings confirm that the Labuan Bajo Sub-district Administration itself has admitted these boundaries do not correspond to the land’s actual condition on site. Furthermore, the area covered by the 1991 deed includes land legally belonging to the heirs of the late Ibrahim Hanta, whose ownership has been permanently validated by the Supreme Court.

In the 2026 Revocation Letter — also obtained by this media — the sub-district administration explicitly states that the October 21, 1991 customary land deed under the name Beatrix Seran Nggebu does not state the total land area, and its stated boundaries do not match the actual location of the land in Keranga.

“Since the October 21, 1991 Land Deed under the name BEATRIX SERAN NGGEBU does not specify the land area, and its northern, southern, eastern, and western boundaries do not correspond to the actual location, it has caused overlapping claims and land disputes among the community in Labuan Bajo,” the revocation letter reads.

This official government confirmation serves as key evidence proving that the 1991 document contained serious irregularities from the beginning.

Florianus Surion Adu, a member of the traditional community of Kedaluan Nggorang, highlighted the discrepancies. “For example, the northern boundary is listed as bordering land belonging to Don Amput, but in reality, it borders land belonging to Mori Rongkeng,” he said.

“This error is extremely critical — it shifts the location of the land entirely and opens the door for overlapping ownership claims across the Keranga area,” added Florianus, one of the heirs whose land is alleged to have been unlawfully seized, in an interview on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

Florianus also noted that the 1991 deed does not clearly state the land area, leaving it open to multiple conflicting interpretations.

“This lack of clarity is believed to be one of the main triggers behind the prolonged agrarian conflict in Keranga, including disputes surrounding the five Certificates of Ownership and four Land Plots Maps issued in the names of children and sons-in-law of Nikolaus Naput and Beatrix Seran Nggebu,” he stated.

The issuance of these five certificates and four measurement sketches is currently being investigated by Bareskrim Police following reports of alleged document forgery and abuse of authority. The case is officially registered under Police Report Receipt No. STTL/96/II/2026/BARESKRIM dated February 27, 2026.

The reporter, Kristian Sony, filed a complaint alleging forgery of documents, complicity, aiding criminal acts, and abuse of authority in the process of issuing land certificates in Keranga.

The report names several individuals, including Erwin Kadiman Santosa alias Santosa Kadiman, Maria Fatmawaty Naput, Paulus Grans Naput, as well as a number of officials from the West Manggarai Land Office and other related parties.

The case grew more complex after the legal team representing the heirs of the late Ibrahim Hanta revealed that two different legal bases were allegedly used in the process of issuing the five certificates.

Alleged Use of a March 10, 1990 Title Deed

Legal counsel for the plaintiffs, Retired Police Inspector General Drs. I Wayan Sukawinaya — accompanied by Dr. (c) Indra Triantoro, SH, MH, legal advisor to the heirs of Ibrahim Hanta — stated that when submitting the application to the West Manggarai Land Office, the family of Nikolaus Naput allegedly presented a title deed dated March 10, 1990, covering an area of 16 hectares.

However, during field measurements and demarcation of the land, they allegedly used a different document: the October 21, 1991 deed under the name Beatrix Seran Nggebu, which does not specify any land area.

“If the application is based on the March 10, 1990 document, but field measurements rely on the October 21, 1991 deed, then the legal foundation for the five certificates is inconsistent and invalid,” explained Retired Police Inspector General Drs. I Wayan Sukawinaya.

The revocation letter issued by the Head of Labuan Bajo Sub-district is now seen as further confirmation of serious irregularities in the land administration process.

The sub-district administration itself has acknowledged that the boundaries stated in the 1991 deed do not match the actual location in Keranga and risk causing widespread overlapping land claims.

This media outlet’s investigation also highlights concerns over the roles of two Nggorang Customary Leaders, Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair, whose signatures appear in multiple documents related to land measurements and demarcation. Both men are also named as signatories on the 2014 measurement sketch issued by the West Manggarai Land Office, which became part of the process leading to the five ownership certificates.

Kristian Sony, who filed the police report, emphasized that the official confirmation from the Labuan Bajo Sub-district Administration through the revocation letter provides key evidence that law enforcement authorities must thoroughly investigate.

“Now even the government itself admits that the 1991 deed does not match the actual location of the land. This matter must be fully uncovered, because this same document was used during land measurements that ultimately produced five ownership certificates and four measurement sketches,” said Retired Police Inspector General Drs. I Wayan Sukawinaya.

Reported from various media sources //photo from Google documents // contribution by Prime News Post international online media // news.paper
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