Indonesian court affirms 1.7 trillion rupiah civil claim against Keppel unit is inadmissible

The DKI Jakarta Province High Court has also ordered the claimant to pay court costs

AN INDONESIAN High Court has affirmed an earlier court decision that a claimant’s 1.7 trillion rupiah (S$144.2 million) lawsuit against Kepland Investama, a wholly owned subsidiary of , was inadmissible.

In a bourse filing on Thursday (Nov 7), Keppel said the DKI Jakarta Province High Court had on Aug 22 also ordered the claimant, Raden Saleh Abdul Malik, to pay court costs.

The claimant had commenced a civil suit against Kepland over ownership rights for land plots in Jakarta, where the International Financial Centre Jakarta Tower 2 building complex is situated.

The claimant alleged that he was the legal owner of the land plots, which span 17,000 square metres. His claim was based on a “girik” – a document which is not considered proof of land ownership under Indonesian agrarian law.

When Keppel first announced in February 2022 that it was aware of these allegations, it noted that Kepland had acquired its ownership rights over the land plots on Dec 1, 2000, and holds land certificates which were “the strongest proof of ownership”.

The subsidiary then took out an application to dismiss the claim.

In a March 2023 bourse filing, Keppel said the South Jakarta District Court had ruled that the claimant’s lawsuit was inadmissible.

The group then announced in June 2023 that the claimant had submitted an appeal to the DKI Jakarta Province High Court.

Keppel shares ended Thursday at S$6.44, up S$0.01 or 0.2 per cent, before the announcement.