Attorney General's Office Names Coal Tycoon Samin Tan as Suspect in Mining Corruption Case
The Attorney General’s Office has named Samin Tan as a suspect in the criminal corruption case concerning irregularities in the management of mining operations at PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup in Murung Raya Regency, Central Kalimantan Province, spanning the period 2016-2025.
The designation was announced by Kejagung during a press conference held in front of the building of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, at the Kejagung complex in South Jakarta, early on Saturday (28/3/2026) WIB. Those present included, among others, Head of the Legal Information Centre Anang Supriatna and Director of Investigations of Jampidsus Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi.
“We have designated one suspect, namely ST (Samin Tan),” said Syarief.
According to him, the naming of Samin Tan as a suspect followed a series of investigations, including examinations of witnesses and searches conducted in several areas in West Java, South Kalimantan, DKI Jakarta, and Central Kalimantan.
“And it should be noted that searches are still ongoing, particularly in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,” said Syarief.
He explained that Samin Tan, as the beneficial owner of PT AKP, is a coal miner based on the Coal Mining Business Work Agreement (PKP2B), whose permit was revoked in 2017. However, after the permit was revoked, PT AKP continued illegal and unlawful mining and sales of mining products until 2025.
According to Syarief, Samin Tan through PT AKP and its affiliates acted unlawfully by conducting mining and sales using invalid permits, in collaboration with state officials responsible for supervising mining activities, thereby harming the state finances and/or the national economy.
“As for the amount of state financial losses, it is still in the process of calculation by the BPKP (Financial and Development Supervisory Agency) audit team,” said Syarief.
Furthermore, he stated that Samin Tan is suspected of violating Articles 603 and 604 of the Criminal Code. Samin Tan has been detained for the next 20 days at the Salemba Detention Centre Branch of the Attorney General’s Office.
Spokesperson for the Forest Area Regulation Task Force Barita Simanjuntak expressed appreciation for the work of the Jampidsus Kejagung team. According to him, following the repossession of the forest area illegally managed by PT AKP, the PKH Task Force in early March had already warned all companies that had been summoned to fulfil their obligations.
“We have issued warnings and reprimands, and the task force, in accordance with its duties and authority, has coordinated and informed law enforcement apparatus also within the task force for further law enforcement steps,” said Barita.
“So this is part of the forest area regulation process, which is then followed up by the Jampidsus of the Republic of Indonesia Prosecutor’s Office to ensure law enforcement, state sovereignty, legal certainty in regulating our forest areas runs consistently and in accordance with existing regulations,” he added.