Tracing the Dynamics of Land Corruption Investigations in Indonesia: A Case Study from Kuantan Singingi

Tracing the Dynamics of Land Corruption Investigations in Indonesia: A Case Study from Kuantan Singingi

Authors

  • Nasrizal Universitas Islam Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia
  • Zul Akrial Universitas Islam Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia
  • Riadi Asra Rahmad Universitas Islam Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64780/rolsj.v1i3.94

Keywords:

Corruption Investigation, Kuantan Singingi, Land Sector, Legal Framework

Abstract

Background; Corruption in Indonesia’s land sector undermines public confidence, with overlapping rules creating obstacles for fair investigation and prosecution.

Aims; This research examines how land-related corruption is investigated by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Kuantan Singingi. It aims to evaluate the adequacy of the legal framework while also identifying the main difficulties encountered in practice.

Methods; The study applies a normative juridical method combined with a case study approach. Sources include statutory regulations, court rulings, and interviews with prosecutors and legal professionals. A qualitative analysis was carried out to assess how far the written laws align with the realities of enforcement on the ground.

Result; The findings indicate that although Indonesia has comprehensive legal instruments to address corruption in land affairs, their application remains inconsistent. Investigators face problems such as limited institutional resources, challenges in proving manipulation of land certificates, and external pressures from political or economic actors. These issues tend to reduce prosecutorial effectiveness and slow the resolution of cases.

Conclusion; The Kuantan Singingi experience illustrates wider systemic weaknesses in Indonesia’s anti-corruption framework. Building stronger institutional capacity, harmonizing land regulations, and ensuring transparency in prosecutorial practices are necessary steps to improve the integrity and effectiveness of land corruption investigations.

References

Aïssaoui, R., & Fabian, F. (2022). Globalization, economic development, and corruption: A cross-lagged contingency perspective. Journal of International Business Policy, 5(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1057/s42214-020-00091-5

Alexander, C., Berrisford, S., Nkula-Wenz, L., Ndhlovu, D., Siame, G., Watson, V., & Zinnbauer, D. (2022). Challenges and opportunities of curbing urban corruption and building professional integrity: Experiences of planners in South Africa and Zambia. Habitat International, 122, 102541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102541

Ali, M., Muliyono, A., & Nurhidayat, S. (2023). The Application of a Human Rights Approach toward Crimes of Corruption: Analyzing Anti-Corruption Regulations and Judicial Decisions. Laws, 12(4), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws12040068

Alting, H., Anshar, Robo, B. D., & Bakhtiar, H. S. (2025). Land Disputes and the Land Mafia Phenomenon in Indonesia: A Critical Analysis. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 5(3), e4794–e4794. https://doi.org/10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v5.n03.pe04794

Bachriadi, D., & Aspinall, E. (2023). Land Mafias in Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 55(3), 331–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2023.2215261

Bakker, A., Cai, J., & Zenger, L. (2021). Future themes of mathematics education research: An international survey before and during the pandemic. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 107(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-021-10049-w

Baye, M. G., Ayele, M. A., & Wondimuneh, T. E. (2021). Implementing GeoGebra integrated with multi-teaching approaches guided by the APOS theory to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of limit in Ethiopian Universities. Heliyon, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07012

Chowdhury, D. D. (2025). DOES POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IMPACT UPON GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS? - A PANEL DATA INVESTIGATION FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES. In Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development (Vol. 34, pp. 43–53). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-832320240000034014

Davidescu, A. A., Lobonț, O.-R., Manta, E. M., Mihiț, L. D., & Țăran, A.-M. (2025). Crossing chasms: A PLS approach to EU public sector performance assessment. PLOS ONE, 20(6 June). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325994

Eryanto, D., van Eeden Jones, I., & Lasthuizen, K. (2022). The troubling impact of political interference in Indonesian public sector institutions on ethical leadership credibility. International Journal of Public Leadership, 18(4), 319–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-10-2021-0056

Gani, A. (2021). Sustainability of energy assets and corruption in the developing countries. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 26, 741–751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.12.023

Gottschalk, P. (2025). Corruption, criminal justice, and compliance in sport: The case of the International Biathlon Union. Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003598343

Juvet, T. M., Corbaz-Kurth, S., Roos, P., Benzakour, L., Cereghetti, S., Moullec, G., Suard, J.-C., Vieux, L., Wozniak, H., Pralong, J. A., & Weissbrodt, R. (2021). Adapting to the unexpected: Problematic work situations and resilience strategies in healthcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave. Safety Science, 139, 105277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105277

Koeswayo, P. S., Handoyo, S., & Abdul Hasyir, D. (2024). Investigating the Relationship between Public Governance and the Corruption Perception Index. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2342513. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2342513

Lawan, A. A., & Henttonen, P. (2024). Preserving evidence integrity: The key to efficient anti-corruption investigations. Records Management Journal, 34(1), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-03-2023-0016

Levien, M. (n.d.). Coercive Rentier Networks“Land Mafias” in Neoliberal India. Retrieved September 27, 2025, from https://online.ucpress.edu/socdev/article/7/2/159/117612/Coercive-Rentier-Networks-Land-Mafias-in

Li, X., Aghazadeh, S., Liaquat, M., Nassani, A. A., & Sunday Eweade, B. (2025). Transforming Costa Rica’s environmental quality: The role of renewable energy, rule of law, corruption control, and foreign direct investment in building a sustainable future. Renewable Energy, 239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2024.121993

Locatelli, G., Konstantinou, E., Geraldi, J., & Sainati, T. (2022). The Dark Side of Projects: Dimensionality, Research Methods, and Agenda. Project Management Journal, 53(4), 367–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728221103911

Lysova, T. (2025). Paradoxes of Authoritarian Mundane Surveillance: The Use of Yandex.Eda Data Leak to Investigate the Powerful in Russia. Surveillance and Society, 23(3), 321–335. https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v23i3.18391

Maletova, O., & Utkina, M. (2025). Interaction and collision of moral and legal norms in the process of anti-corruption measures implementation: Natural and actual aspects. Foresight, 27(3), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-09-2023-0186

Meza, O., & Pérez-Chiqués, E. (2021). Corruption consolidation in local governments: A grounded analytical framework. Public Administration, 99(3), 530–546. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12698

Noor, A. (n.d.). Corruption in the acquisition of land for the benefit of infrastructure development in Indonesia. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 15(2). Retrieved September 27, 2025, from https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/14

Nugroho, H. Y. S. H., Nurfatriani, F., Indrajaya, Y., Yuwati, T. W., Ekawati, S., Salminah, M., Gunawan, H., Subarudi, S., Sallata, M. K., Allo, M. K., Muin, N., Isnan, W., Putri, I. A. S. L. P., Prayudyaningsih, R., Ansari, F., Siarudin, M., Setiawan, O., & Baral, H. (2022). Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services from Indonesia’s Remaining Forests. Sustainability, 14(19), 12124. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912124

Nyame, Y. A., Cooperberg, M. R., Cumberbatch, M. G., Eggener, S. E., Etzioni, R., Gomez, S. L., Haiman, C., Huang, F., Lee, C. T., Litwin, M. S., Lyratzopoulos, G., Mohler, J. L., Murphy, A. B., Pettaway, C., Powell, I. J., Sasieni, P., Schaeffer, E. M., Shariat, S. F., & Gore, J. L. (2022). Deconstructing, Addressing, and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Prostate Cancer Care. European Urology, 82(4), 341–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2022.03.007

Olujobi, O. J. (2021). Recouping proceeds of corruption: Is there any need to reverse extant trends by enacting civil forfeiture legal regime in Nigeria? Journal of Money Laundering Control, 24(4), 806–833. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-09-2020-0107

Paranata, A. (2025). A Systematic Literature Review of Anti-corruption Policy: A Future Research Agenda in Indonesia. Public Organization Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-025-00847-8

Peng, X., Cheng, L., & Gong, M. (2021). Measuring public-involving economic crime: A case study in Beijing, China. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 65, 100465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2021.100465

Potter, L., & Potter, G. R. (2020). “Snitches get stitches”: Researching both sides of illegal markets. Journal of Organizational Ethnography, 10(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOE-01-2020-0003

Pramudya, E. P., Wibowo, L. R., Nurfatriani, F., Nawireja, I. K., Kurniasari, D. R., Hutabarat, S., Kadarusman, Y. B., Iswardhani, A. O., & Rafik, R. (2022). Incentives for Palm Oil Smallholders in Mandatory Certification in Indonesia. Land, 11(4), 576. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11040576

Ruan, J., & Wang, P. (2023). Elite Capture and Corruption: The Influence of Elite Collusion on Village Elections and Rural Land Development in China. The China Quarterly, 253, 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741022001217

Saba, C. S., Alola, A. A., & Ngepah, N. (2025). Exploring the role of governance and institutional indicators in environmental degradation across global regions. Environmental Development, 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101152

Saiyed, R. (2023). Mining Management Gold Without a License in Kuantan District Singingi. DECISION: Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 5(2), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.23969/decision.v5i2.18269

Simatele, M., & Bolarinwa, S. T. (2025). How does globalisation affect informality in sub-Saharan African countries? Sustainable Development, 33(1), 478–492. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3133

Tambunan, D. (2023). Indonesia under threat: The danger of corruption to political legitimacy. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 8(1), 112–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/20578911221124965

Thamrin, H. (2022). Corruption Eradication strategies and Indonesian Constitutional Law: Lessons Learned from International Practices. Journal of Human Security, 18(2). https://jhumansecurity.com/menuscript/index.php/jhe/article/view/107

Tusalem, R. F. (n.d.). Citizen Perceptions of Crime and Their Effect on Support for Illiberal Democratic RuleEvidence from the Philippines. Retrieved September 27, 2025, from https://online.ucpress.edu/as/article/64/3/514/199797/Citizen-Perceptions-of-Crime-and-Their-Effect-on

Wedha, Y. Y., Wijaya, I. M. H., Mukti, H., & Turymshayeva, A. (2025). Unraveling the Complex Policies Regulating Conflicts of Interest and Criminal Corruption. Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5(1), 33–59. https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i1.486

Yadav, V. (2023). Tackling Non-Consensual Dissemination of Intimate Images in India’s Contemporary Legal Framework. International Annals of Criminology, 61(3–4), 355–383. https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2023.30

Downloads

Published

2025-09-28

How to Cite

Nasrizal, Akrial, Z., & Rahmad, R. A. (2025). Tracing the Dynamics of Land Corruption Investigations in Indonesia: A Case Study from Kuantan Singingi. Rule of Law Studies Journal, 1(3), 191–203. https://doi.org/10.64780/rolsj.v1i3.94
Loading...