PRIME NEWS POST
The INDONESIAN (Labuhan Bajo) — A scandal has emerged surrounding the issuance of five Land Ownership Certificates (SHM) registered in the names of Nikolaus Naput’s children, located in the Keranga area of Labuan Bajo. The case has entered a more serious phase amid a decades-long land conflict plaguing this prime tourism zone.
Investigations have revealed allegations that two different title deed documents were used within a single certification process. The names of Nggorang Customary Authority figures Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair have been drawn into the case and have become the central focus of scrutiny.
“This is not merely a public controversy; the case has now been formally reported to the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police on suspicion of document forgery and abuse of authority,” Ni Made Tanti stated to the media on Friday (8/5/2026).
According to her, the report is registered under Police Report Receipt Number: STTL/96/II/2026/BARESKRIM, dated 27 February 2026. The reporter, Kristian Sony, has filed a report alleging criminal acts including forgery of documents, complicity, assistance in criminal acts, and abuse of authority — all regulated under Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Indonesian Criminal Code.
“Kristian Sony reported allegations of document forgery, complicity, aiding and abetting, and abuse of authority related to the issuance of land certificates in Keranga,” Ni Made emphasized.
She explained that the report names several individuals, including Erwin Kadiman Santosa (also known as Santosa Kadiman), Maria Fatmawaty Naput, Paulus Grans Naput, as well as employees of the West Manggarai Land Office, among others.
“The reported case concerns the issuance of five land certificates and four measurement maps in Labuan Bajo on 31 January 2017 — a matter that has triggered prolonged conflict ever since,” Ni Made added.
Serious Flaws Found in Issuance of 5 Certificates
Members of the legal team representing the heirs of the late Ibrahim Hanta have uncovered alleged serious irregularities in the issuance process of these five certificates. Legal counsel Ni Made Tanti, S.H., Jon Kadis, S.H., and Indah Wahyuni, S.H., revealed that when submitting applications to the West Manggarai Land Agency (BPN), the Nikolaus Naput family allegedly relied on a title deed dated 10 March 1990, covering an area of 16 hectares.
However, during the field measurement and land demarcation process, a different title document was presented — one dated 21 October 1991, issued in the name of Beatrik Seran Nggebu (wife of the late Nikolaus Naput), which contained no stated land area.
“If the application was based on a document dated 10 March 1990, but the measurement was carried out based on a different document dated 21 October 1991, then the legal basis for issuing these five certificates becomes completely unclear,” Ni Made stated.
Under land administration regulations, legal data and physical data must be consistent and identical. Therefore, the use of two conflicting documents within one certification process is deemed to carry the potential for administrative defects and suspected legal violations.
“Particular scrutiny is directed toward Nggorang Customary Authority figures Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair, who are said to have participated in the measurement process and signed official land survey documents issued by the West Manggarai Land Agency,” Ni Made explained.
Furthermore, Jon Kadis disclosed that during court proceedings for Case Numbers 41 and 44, as well as Case Number 1 of 2026, he personally examined a 2014 land measurement document from the Land Agency bearing the signatures of Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair.
“I personally saw the blue-form survey document from the West Manggarai Land Agency from 2014, signed by Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair,” Jon confirmed.
He emphasized that the involvement of these two customary leaders is a critical point that must be fully clarified, as it relates directly to the formal recognition of customary land rights — which is alleged to be the underlying basis for issuing the five disputed certificates.
Meanwhile, Kristian Sony — the reporter who filed the case with Bareskrim — asserted that the root of all land disputes in Keranga lies in the so-called customary land transfer document dated 10 March 1990, claiming 16 hectares. According to him, this document is riddled with irregularities, and the original version has never been produced or shown publicly.
“The core of all land problems in Keranga is that 1990 document claiming 16 hectares. The original has never existed, the location described is allegedly incorrect, and the document even names a third party as the buyer,” he said.
Sony has publicly challenged Haji Ramang Ishaka, Muhamad Syair, Johanis Vans Naput, and Erwin Kadiman Santosa to present the original customary land document to the public.
“I openly challenge them to show the original 10 March 1990 document for 16 hectares — the very document claimed as the basis for issuing those five certificates,” he insisted.
He also highlighted suspicious discrepancies regarding the measured land area.
“The land is said to be only around 27 hectares in total, yet it was somehow measured and certified as 40 hectares. The only basis used was a photocopy of a document full of inconsistencies, whose original has never been shown to anyone,” he stated.
In Sony’s view, Haji Ramang Ishaka and Muhamad Syair must be held accountable because they participated in measuring the land and signed the official Land Agency survey records.
Separately, Indah Wahyuni, S.H., stressed that the proven use of two different title deeds within one certification process constitutes a potential criminal offense.
“If documents are found that contradict established facts, or if administrative procedures were manipulated, then the criminal elements of the case can be legally established and prosecuted,” she warned.
The legal team is also demanding full transparency from the West Manggarai Land Agency, urging the complete disclosure of all files and records related to the issuance of the five certificates — including original title deeds, official measurement reports, land parcel maps, and land investigation dossiers.
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Reported from various media sources //photo from Google documents // contribution by Prime News Post international online media // news.paper
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