WHILE, Waspada.co.id – The trial of the former Harian sub-district head, Waston Simbolon (55), regarding alleged corruption in land clearing for settlement and agriculture in the teleforest area, Samosir Regency was held again with a plea agenda at the Medan District Court (PN).
In his plea note which was read directly, Waston emphasized that he did not know that the land had problems.
“Before I became Samosir sub-district head, I was invited to a meeting and at that meeting the land was APL and there were no more problems. And at that time the community of cultivators was also present. “As sub-district head, I never worked on it at all,” he stressed.
Waston admitted that if I had known the land had problems, I would not have signed the community’s application
Meanwhile, the defendant’s attorney Rendra Sitorus, SH MH and his colleague Andi Hakim, SH MH, said that from the facts of the trial there were no witnesses who declared their client guilty, therefore he asked the Panel of Judges to acquit their client from all legal charges.
“Regarding today’s plea, we refer to the facts of the trial. Neither fact witnesses, expert witnesses nor witnesses from BPN provided testimony that the land was problematic. The land was a forest area. Meanwhile, Mr Waston is not a decision maker, he is a victim of his position. The one who made the decision at that time was the Regent. “And on the recommendation of the Forest Service at that time,” he said, Friday (11/10).
Apart from that, he also emphasized that there was not a single piece of evidence or witness that stated that his client’s actions had harmed the state.
“There was even a defendant who was convicted yesterday who panicked when he saw him (Waston) being made a suspect, because they had no collusion. “We ask for freedom, because there is not a single piece of evidence that says Mr Waston is causing harm to the country,” he said.
Moreover, Rendra said, the land was no longer a Forest Area, but had become APL, based on Decree of the Minister of Forestry No. 44 and Decree of the Minister of Forestry No. 579. Mr Waston at that time was carrying out his duties as daily sub-district head.
“The structuring team’s decree was dated September 4, so he (Waston) was appointed on September 30. “When Mr. Waston was appointed as daily sub-district head, the APL land acquisition committee and the land distribution management team had already been formed, whether they liked it or not, they had to be followed,” he stressed.
Not only that, Rendra also said that the facts at the hearing were that the BPN said there was no problem, so the land in the Tele Pusuk Buhit area had become a Certificate of Ownership Rights (SHM).
“If there is a problem with the land, why can it be upgraded to a Certificate of Ownership? The fact at the hearing was that the BPN said there was no problem so the land in the Tele Pusuk Buhit area has become a Certificate of Ownership (SHM). “And the Head of BPN Samosir at that time, Mr. Hiskia Simarmata, when testifying, said that the land had no problems, so the process of upgrading it to the Ownership Certificate had been completed,” he concluded. (wool/ryp/d1)
MAIN AGUS Editor
2024-10-11 09:21:00