Attorney General's Office Asserts Rp401 Billion Refund Does Not Halt Nickel Corruption Probe in Southeast Sulawesi
The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has ensured that the investigation into alleged corruption regarding nickel governance related to PT CNI will proceed, even though the company has returned funds amounting to Rp40andum 401 billion.
The Head of the Public Relations Centre of the Attorney General’s Office, Anang Supriatna, stated that the return of the money does not automatically erase the allegations of criminal offences in the case, which is currently being handled by the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus).
The investigation into the case has been escalated and is currently in the general investigation stage. No parties have been named as suspects yet.
“Yesterday, it was elevated to an investigation regarding the nickel at PT CNI, where investigators have seized a refund of approximately Rp401 billion,” he said on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
Anang emphasised that the return of the money is part of the ongoing legal process. However, this step does not result in the automatic termination of the case.
“The case continues. Clearly, this refund does not halt the criminal process; it remains ongoing,” he added.
On the other hand, Anang also clarified issues regarding the connection between the PT CNI case and the National Strategic Projects (PSN) established during the administration of Indonesia’s 7th President, Joko Widodo.
“No, it is not (related to PSN). This is due to activities involving mine openings or export partners being outside of the regulations. It is outside of the PSN,” he further explained.
It was previously reported that the Attorney General’s Office received the handover of Rp401 billion from PT Ceria Nugraha Indotama (CNI) during the investigation into alleged nickel governance corruption in Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) for the 2017-2020 period.
The amount represents the value of state financial losses calculated by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) in the case of alleged irregularities in nickel mining governance.
The Director of Investigation for Jampidsus at the Attorney General’s Office, Saiful Bahri Siregar, stated that the handover of the money was conducted by PT CNI on Friday, 28 August 2026.
“This investigative action is being carried out in order to construct the criminal offence in the Nickel Governance Corruption case from 2017 to 2020,” he said on Monday, 31 August 2026.