Church welcomes move against Indonesian land mafia
Police task force aims to take on grabbers and cronies who snatch from local communities what is rightfully theirs
Suspects in the Labuan Bajo land graft case are escorted from El Tari Airport in Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, on Jan. 14. (Photo supplied)
Just a week before leaving the post he had held for two terms, Agustinus Ch. Dula, the West Manggarai district chief on Indonesia s predominantly Catholic island of Flores, was accused of graft over the sale of public land.
With 19 other accused, including several of his subordinates, he is on trial at the Corruption Crime Court in Kupang, the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, charged with misappropriating around 1.3 trillion rupiah (US$9.2 million).