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View all search resultsMillions seized in Hercules case spotlights informal power in land deals
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H. Hercules Rozario Marshall (center), general chairman of the central executive board of Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Bersatu Jaya (GRIB Jaya), speaks on Aug. 30 about several issues that emerged following chaotic demonstrations in Jakarta on Aug. 27, after attending the regional working meeting of the GRIB Jaya West Java chapter. (YouTube/@gribtvofficial)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) seizure of hundreds of millions of rupiah linked to property developer Summarecon and gang leader Rosario “Hercules” de Marshal has renewed concerns over mass organizations’ role in land disputes and the corruption risks posed by informal power networks.
The anti-graft body said last week that it had confiscated a total of Rp 800 million (US$44,132) in cash from Hercules’ lawyer, who handed the money over to KPK investigators on Oct. 15.
The seizure came a month after the KPK arrested several suspects in an alleged bribery case pertaining to the issuance of right-to-build (HGB) permits for Summarecon at the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry. The suspects include a ministry director general, PT Summarecon Agung president director and non-ministry officials associated with Minister Nusron Wahid.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the money received by Hercules was “suspected to come from Summarecon” and was linked to the developer’s efforts to unblock several plots of land in Bogor, West Java. The permits had been blocked after landowners challenged the extension of their permits at an administrative court in the province.
Although Budi described the handover as “a form of cooperation”, the seizure has raised questions about Hercules’ involvement in the case, prompting a rebuttal from his organization, the United Indonesian People’s Movement (GRIB) Jaya.
“The money was returned in good faith with the intention of establishing its true source, as it was given by a Summarecon lawyer,” GRIB spokesperson Novianus Martin Bau told reporters last Friday.
Read also: Hercules’ return spotlights Prabowo’s informal power network
