BALINEWSID.COM, KARANGASEM — Authorities in Bali have intensified an investigation into an alleged manipulative land swap (ruilslag) scheme involving mangrove areas linked to PT Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID). Prosecutors suspect the use of informal, under-the-table transactions exploiting community land documents, known as pipil, for plots believed to be state-owned land.

The probe gained momentum after a joint field inspection and measurement conducted by the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office alongside the National Land Agency, the Forest Area Consolidation Agency, the East Bali Forest Management Unit, and the Bali Provincial Forestry and Environment Agency in Karangasem.

Anak Agung Ngurah Jayalantara, Head of Operational Control for Special Crimes at the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office, said initial findings indicate that several plots included in the land swap were previously registered under pipil ownership.

“Information from the field shows that the land was previously recorded as community pipil,” Jayalantara stated on Thursday (May 7) following the joint survey.

On the second day of inspections, the team examined multiple sites in Dukuh Village and Tulamben Village, specifically in Batudawa hamlet, as well as Baru Ringgit Village, covering a total area of approximately 18.1 hectares. Preliminary information suggests that all these plots were categorized as pipil land.

However, a different finding emerged from an earlier inspection in Sebudi Village. The surveyed land there is suspected to fall within a state forest area managed by the East Bali Forest Management Unit. This has raised concerns about irregular land control prior to its inclusion in the land swap scheme.

When asked about the possibility of off-record transactions, Jayalantara confirmed that investigators are still exploring the matter.
“That’s exactly what we are trying to uncover,” he said.

A day earlier, on Wednesday (May 6), the prosecution team conducted inspections in Badeg Dukuh hamlet, Sebudi Village, Selat District, covering an area of around 22 hectares.

Jayalantara emphasized that the case has been under general investigation since early 2025 and forms part of a broader probe into Green Open Space (RTH) land certificates linked to BTID.

“This has been under general investigation since early 2025. It is part of the RTH certification case involving BTID,” he said.

He added that investigators are not limiting their focus to a single plot but are examining the entire land swap process, which is suspected to have been ongoing since 1995.

“We want to handle this comprehensively, not just focus on 16 certificates. We are examining the entire process,” he explained.

Investigators are currently gathering evidence, questioning witnesses, and verifying the origin and legal status of the land involved—whether it stems from pipil ownership, freehold title certificates (SHM), or is in fact state land.

The case is expected to shed light on long-standing practices surrounding mangrove land swaps in Bali, which are suspected to involve незаконное land control and to have persisted for decades.