West Manggarai – The Labuan Bajo area is heating up, as the investment climate is allegedly severely tarnished by the actions of an alleged land mafia network. Protests from the Labuan Bajo public are growing stronger.
Around 500 people will take to the streets for a three-day demonstration from April 7 to 9, 2026. The protesters will target the District Court, the National Land Agency (BPN), and the Labuan Bajo District Prosecutor’s Office.
This is due to the alleged long-standing malicious activities of the land mafia that have “taken over” state land and converted it into private property. The issue is serious.
“The public can no longer stay silent following the civil case ruling dated March 10, 2026, from the Labuan Bajo District Court panel of judges. The ruling is deemed to have ignored the fact that the land is state-owned, and instead is considered to legitimize private ownership of the state asset,” said Florianus Surion, one of the landowners in Kerangan, Labuan Bajo, to the media on Friday (March 27, 2026) in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai.
He suspects that the panel of judges colluded with Santosa Kadiman, the land broker for the five-star The St Regis Labuan Bajo hotel. This allegedly led to a civil ruling stating that the state land is “legally privately owned.”
According to circulating information, the alleged misappropriation of state land dates back to January 29, 2015, when Santosa Kadiman acted as the buyer in a Preliminary Sale and Purchase Agreement (PPJB) for approximately 40 hectares of land. The land was disputed, and it turned out to include state land.
“The Labuan Bajo public is skeptical that their leaders – the Regent and Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) – have remained silent for 16 years up to this moment,” said Fery Adu, Florianus Surion’s familiar nickname.
He stated that there is strong suspicion that Santosa Kadiman and Beatrix Seran Nggebu (wife of Nikolaus Naput) embezzled or misappropriated the state land. As the public knows, the state land location also includes an 8-meter-wide local government road leading to the beachfront.
“However, the road is now blocked with an iron gate, and access to the public road and state land has simply been occupied by Santosa Kadiman and the son-in-law of Beatrix Seran Nggebu (wife of Nikolaus Naput),” Fery said, lamenting the injustice.
For the Labuan Bajo public, the local government’s “silence” is disappointing. The district court’s ruling is also not merely an administrative error. They see it as a serious indication of alleged collusion between unethical and unprofessional public officials involved in the misappropriation of state land.
“These public officials are like they’re wearing blinders – they act and make decisions without exploring the substance of the truth about the state land’s existence,” Fery Adu stressed.
Where is the state land located?
It is in Bukit Kerangan, not far from a 30-hectare area owned by the local government. The existence of state land at the location is not new. It is documented in old records, including a land title dated March 10, 1990, under the name Nasar Bin Haji Supu, and a sales contract dated May 2, 1990, between Nasar Bin Haji Supu and Nikolaus Naput.
“Both documents clearly state that the eastern boundary is state land. This fact is further strengthened by the Labuan Bajo Village Head – as a government representative – signing and acknowledging the documents on March 3, 2010,” he explained.
However, Fery Adu said the on-the-ground situation is the opposite. The land designated as state-owned is now occupied and controlled by private individuals.
“Names mentioned include Rosyina Yulti Mantuh and Albertus Alviano Ganti, who are the son-in-law and daughter-in-law of Nikolaus Naput and Beatrix Seran Nggebu. Furthermore, the land is known to have been transacted through a PPJB deed by Notary Billy Yohanes Ginta dated January 29, 2014, involving Santosa Kadiman alias Erwin Bebek – the land broker for the five-star St. Regis Labuan Bajo hotel project – as the buyer,” he said at length.
Florianus Surion, or Fery Adu as he is familiarly known, conveyed his group’s firm stance. He said the current situation has sparked public anger.
“We urge the Prosecutor’s Office and BPN to immediately secure the state land assets in Kerangan, Labuan Bajo Subdistrict, which are allegedly controlled by the suspected land mafia. We propose that the Prosecutor’s Office and BPN immediately install permanent ‘State Land’ signs at the location occupied by Santosa Kadiman,” Fery Adu stated.
He added that the land has now been surveyed and titled under the names of Beatrix Seran and Nikolaus Naput’s two children-in-law. They also call on the Labuan Bajo District Court to carefully examine the facts when deciding cases.
“Instead, what we see is an apparent validation of state land misappropriation by private individuals. This is truly unethical and unprofessional,” Fery Adu said.
He not only presented demands but also outlined a series of facts that he claims indicate a long-standing pattern of illegal control. These facts have also been documented in a notification letter about the action to the West Manggarai Police Chief.
He explained that the alleged control and misappropriation of state land in Kerangan are said to have been ongoing since October 21, 1991, by Beatrix Seran Nggebu’s heirs and family members. Additionally, there have been private sales of the alleged state land through a PPJB deed by Notary Billy Yohanes Ginta on January 29, 2014.
Fery also highlighted the validation of this private control through the Labuan Bajo District Court’s civil ruling. He believes this further strengthens suspicions of negligence, and even potential institutional involvement in the matter.
Key Facts Presented:
1. Alleged control and misappropriation of state land in Kerangan, Labuan Bajo Subdistrict, have been ongoing since October 21, 1991, by Beatrix Seran Nggebu’s heirs and their children-in-law.
2. Private sales of alleged state land in Kerangan, Labuan Bajo Subdistrict, were conducted through a PPJB deed by Notary Billy Ginta (No. 5) dated January 29, 2014.
3. The Labuan Bajo District Court validated private control over state land through its civil case ruling on the Kerangan, Labuan Bajo Subdistrict land.
4. The Prosecutor’s Office is a law enforcement agency with authority and credibility to defend state interests, including securing state land assets for public benefit.
Fery Adu further emphasized that the misappropriation indication is clear from land boundary documents stating the existence of state land on the eastern side. He also highlighted the issuance of land survey documents by BPN under private names as an alleged violation.
A similar view was expressed by retired Police Inspector General Drs. I Wayan Sukawinaya. He believes BPN should be consistent with previously published data.
“State land cannot be arbitrarily controlled by private individuals. If BPN has issued a land title for the western area where the eastern boundary is state land, it must remain consistent. It cannot violate this by conducting new surveys and issuing private land titles there. BPN should have rejected any application for a land title from private parties! By accommodating these private claims, BPN can be suspected of participating in misappropriating state land,” I Wayan stressed.
Additionally, his side urges firm action from law enforcement authorities. Now that facts have emerged showing state land is occupied by private individuals, the Prosecutor’s Office must and is obligated to seize the land for state assets.
“So that the misappropriation of state land by the land mafia does not continue. The Prosecutor’s Office and the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) must be firm and conduct a thorough investigation – including the 40-hectare PPJB involving Santosa Kadiman that includes state land,” I Wayan hoped. (ed)
@Reported from various media sources //photo from Google documents // contribution by Prime News Post international online media
