Seven Klang district staff members among 17 detained over illegal land transfer activities, says S'gor Land and Mines Office

• Selangor State Land and Mines Office (PTGS) director Datuk Dr Yusri Zakariah urged landowners to frequently check their land titles, make sure their names appeared on the grants, and ensure that quit rent payments are made on time.

SHAH ALAM (Jan 21): Selangor State Land and Mines Office (PTGS) director Datuk Dr Yusri Zakariah on Tuesday confirmed that seven staff members from the Klang District and Land Office (PDT) were among 17 civil servants arrested over illegal land transfer activities.

He stated that the seven staff members had been transferred to departments not related to land matters, pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Speaking to reporters after attending the Selangor state land enforcement and administration's monthly marching ceremony here, Yusri said that an internal investigation conducted by the PTGS found that the incident was believed to have occurred during the process of transitioning from the old system to the new e-Tanah system.

He added that the PTGS had given full cooperation to the police to assist in the investigation.

Yusri said this when asked about the alleged involvement of PTGS staff members in illegal land transfer activities in the state.

In the meantime, he urged landowners to frequently check their land titles, make sure their names appeared on the grants, and ensure that quit rent payments are made on time.

“Check your land title at least once a year, and ensure that the name on the grant is yours,” he said.

On Jan 10, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said that 17 individuals, including seven civil servants from a Land and Mines Office in Selangor, aged between 33 and 57, had been arrested to assist in an investigation into illegal land transfer activities.

Earlier, the media reported that 17 individuals were detained in separate arrests since September for allegedly being part of a cartel involved in transferring land ownership.

So far, seven cases are under investigation, involving 21 acres (over 9.4 hectares) of land, with losses totalling RM7.1 million.

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