PRIME NEWS POST
Labuan Bajo – Land and investment issues in Labuan Bajo, Komodo, have flared up again. This time, the problem does not come from external justice seekers, but from within the panel of judges at the Labuan Bajo District Court (PN).
The decision appears to contradict the principles of justice; instead of relying on formal documents, it seems to have been made with “blinders on,” ignoring conscience. The judges’ sense of justice is blunt and dead. It is easy to suspect something is amiss – especially as an alleged Jakarta-based land mafia is said to have boasted, “I have money; you poor people and law enforcers can be bought.”
Here are the facts: The panel of judges led by I Made Wirangga Kusuma, S.H., ruled in favor of the defendants Santosa Kadiman et al. in two civil lawsuits filed by local indigenous residents Mustaram (Case No. 32/2025) and Abdul Haji (Case No. 33/2025) on March 10, 2026.
The ruling has drawn criticism from the plaintiffs’ legal team, which argues that several key legal facts were ignored – including a final and binding (inkrah) decision by the Supreme Court (MA) in a related case with identical evidence: Case No. 1/Pdt.G/2024/PN Lbj, with final cassation ruling issued by the MA on January 15, 2026.
On Saturday (March 14, 2026), in a media release, plaintiffs’ lawyer Jon Kadis, S.H., expressed surprise at the panel’s reasoning.
“It is extremely surprising. We as legal representatives do not defend our clients blindly. We adhere strictly to facts and law. In fact, we are helping judges uphold truth and justice,” he stated.
Jon added that the final ruling on an adjacent 11-hectare plot – with overlapping evidence – had invalidated the January 2014 Preliminary Sale and Purchase Agreement (PPJB) for Santosa’s 40-hectare claim, which includes the disputed land in the current cases.
The final ruling on the 11-hectare plot declared the PPJB legally void for the following reasons:
1. The underlying land document for the PPJB (Hak Alas Hak certificate No. 21/10/1991, issued to Beatrix, wife of Nikolaus Naput) has no specified area, and the land was already in dispute at the time of the PPJB, overlapping with local residents’ land and some government-owned plots.
2. The location was incorrect – it should have been east of the Labuan Bajo-Kerangan/Batu Gosok main road, not west of the road where the current disputed land is situated.
3. The land covered by the PPJB was already revoked by indigenous leaders in 1998, as confirmed by testimony from Hj Ramang Ishaka (child of one of the leaders) during the 2021 Corruption Court trial in Kupang regarding 30 hectares of government land. She stated that Beatrix and Nikolaus Naput’s land is east of the road and was revoked by her father in 1998.
These details are outlined in the final ruling for the adjacent land plot related to Cases No. 32/2025 (Mustaram) and No. 33/2025 (Abdul Haji).
“Yet surprisingly, the same district court panel stated in the rulings for Cases No. 32 and 33 that Santosa Kadiman’s 40-hectare PPJB is valid, and the area-less certificate No. 21/10/1991 remains valid and enforceable,” said Jon Kadis, S.H., with frustration.
“In our legal practice, jurisprudence is not mandatory, but judges are required to consider it – and if they reject it, they must provide reasons. This was not done here. It is highly unprofessional. What is really going on?” he continued.
The legal team also highlighted the judges’ inconsistency: the same PPJB and area-less land document that were legally voided in the final ruling are now deemed valid in the latest decisions.
“In this new ruling, the panel has ruled the same documents to be legitimate,” said Ni Made Widiastanti, S.H., another member of the legal team.
She drew an analogy: “The 40-hectare PPJB and land certificate were declared dead and buried by the January 15, 2026 final ruling – issued by the same court and within a very short time frame. Yet surprisingly, these ‘dead’ documents have been brought back to life by the panel. In Nusantara’s indigenous philosophy, bringing the dead back would leave an empty grave.”
“When judges act in such contradictory ways, that empty grave is for themselves. It is karma for the panel,” she added.
Despite their disappointment, the legal team confirmed they will pursue further legal action, noting that the first-instance ruling can still be challenged at a higher level.
“This is only the first level. We will file an appeal to the Kupang High Court and refute the panel’s arguments,” said Dr. (c) H. Indra Triantoro, S.H., M.H.
In addition to the appeal, the plaintiffs have taken serious steps by reporting the panel to the Supreme Court Supervisory Board (Bawas MA) and the Judicial Commission in Jakarta.
“Our clients find this ruling suspicious. Therefore, the panel was reported to Bawas MA on the afternoon of March 12, 2026. The report has been accepted with reference number AC6OH20260312PB and will be processed shortly,” explained Indra.
The judges named in the report are: I Made Wirangga Kusuma, S.H.; Kevien Dicky Aldison, S.H.; Intan Hendrawati, S.H.; and Ida Ayu Widyarini, S.H., M.Hum (former Chief Judge of Labuan Bajo District Court and former head of this case panel, now transferred as a regular judge at Surabaya District Court).
“Reports have also been submitted to the Judicial Commission regarding alleged violations of the judges’ code of ethics – first under the leadership of Ida Ayu Widyarini, S.H., M.Hum, and later continued by I Made Wirangga Kusuma, S.H.,” said Indah Wahyuni, S.H., another member of the legal team.
“Furthermore, our clients will soon report the case to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as there is strong suspicion of graft. The alleged Jakarta-based figure reportedly boasted, ‘I can easily handle poor people; I can buy them and law enforcers.’ This not only undermines justice but also disrupts social harmony,” Indah added.
The land dispute in the Bukit Kerangan area is known to be one of the most complex in Labuan Bajo. Beyond competing ownership claims, several prior cases have already reached the Supreme Court. (ed)
#Reported from various media sources // photo from Google documents // contribution by Prime News Post international online media
