Academics highlight delay in Sekotong illegal mining case proceedings
Mataram (ANTARA) - Syamsul Hidayat, a criminal law academic at the University of Matroll, has highlighted the handling of the illegal mining case in Sekotong, West Lombok, which has yet to enter stage two despite the case file for one suspect being declared complete (P-21).
“The commitment of law enforcement to eradicate illegal mining is what needs to be questioned,” said Syamsul when asked for a legal opinion regarding the return of the Notice of Commencement of Investigation (SPDP) for the Sekotong illegal mining case in Mataram on Tuesday.
The lecturer from the Faculty of Law, Social and Political Sciences (FHISIP) at the University of Mataram stated that illegal mining has become a government concern due to its widespread environmental impact.
“Consider the impact: there is water pollution caused by the use of dangerous chemicals that are unmonitored because the activities are illegal. Not to mention the potential for disasters, such as floods and landslides; the impact is extensive,” he said.
Therefore, Syamsul urged law enforcement agencies to strengthen enforcement against illegal mining activities.
However, Syamsul questioned the return of the SPDP when the case file had already been declared complete or P-21.
“There is no such thing as returning an SPDP once it has reached P-21,” he stated.
The Mataram District Attorney’s Office previously returned the SPDP for suspect Faerozzabadi, also known as Eros, dated 18 July 2026, after police investigators had not yet handed over the suspect and evidence or proceeded to stage two.
The case file for Eros had been declared complete (P-21) by the examining prosecutor since 15 April 2026.
According to him, once the file is declared complete, there should be no further instructions requiring coordination between the examining prosecutor and the investigators.
“Therefore, there is no longer a term for returning an SPDP,” he said.
Syamsul argued that the prosecutor’s office, as the controller of the case, should be more active in pushing investigators to complete the process of handing over suspects and evidence.
“In theory, the prosecution acts as the case controller and must actively encourage investigators. There is a line of coordination where the prosecution can demand why the case has not reached stage two,” he added.
Syamsul maintained that the termination of a case must be based on legal grounds, such as the event not being a criminal offence, the death of the suspect, the statute of limitations, ‘ne bis in idem’, or the withdrawal of a complaint for certain offences that are complaint-based.
“So, if none of those criteria apply, the investigation must continue,” he said.
No Update Received
Spokesperson for the Mataram District Attorney’s Office, Ida Made Oka Wijaya, stated that they have not yet received any developments from the West Lombok Police investigators following the return of the SPDP.
He noted that the prosecution cannot intervene with investigators to force the immediate execution of stage two.
The West Lombok Police Chief, AKBP Mellysa Amalia, when confirmed via telephone and WhatsApp, has not yet responded regarding the reasons for the delay in stage two.
The Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the West Lombok Police, AKP Heddy Pemana Putra, has also not responded to requests for confirmation regarding the progress of the case.