Attorney General's Office Urged to Uncover Officials Allegedly Shielding Mining Corruption in West Kalimantan

Mining entrepreneur Sudianto, alias Aseng, has become a suspect in a case of alleged corruption involving irregular governance of mining business licences (Izin Usaha Pertambangan, IUP) of PT Quality Success Sejahtera (QSS) in West Kalimantan. PT QSS is alleged to have obtained an IUP, but mining occurred outside the area granted. Responding to the case, the Coordinator of Indonesia’s Society Against Corruption (MAKI), Boyamin Saiman, said the case must be fully investigated to bring all involved to account. ‘Including if officials are alleged to have been shielding it, it is mandatory to uncover it; if not uncovered, the Attorney General’s Office would be guilty. Because this mine has many protectors,’ he told reporters on Friday (22 May 2026). He said natural resources belong to the state and corruption in illegal mining harms the country. Boyamin expressed appreciation for the AG’s Office for pursuing the case and hoped those who facilitated Aseng’s actions would also be named as suspects. ‘Officials who facilitate the mining, including the selling and the paperwork process that should not have been allowed but appear to grant licences. All must be dragged in; it serves no purpose if only a private entrepreneur is charged. Rather, those officials must be prosecuted. Because this corruption has made it easy to operate,’ he said. According to Boyamin, if officials act firmly and do not permit illegal mining, it would not happen. He said he would monitor the case and if no officials are prosecuted, he is prepared to sue the AG to praperadilan. ‘So be prepared, Attorney General; I will sue you in praperadilan if you are selectively enforcing laws,’ he added. Separately, criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hadjar of Trisakti University also shared similar views. He said all should be uncovered and not just one licensing location. It is suspected there are many other sites under his control. ‘It will later become apparent who else owns them or who are the protectors behind them. Even though prosecutors already know who owns the sites, it is important to identify who opens illegal operations there,’ Hadjar said. Earlier, Director of Investigations of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, in a press conference on Thursday night (21 May 2026), said the suspect Sudianto acquired PT QSS in 2017 which had an exploration IUP based on West Kalimantan Governor’s Decree No. 210/DISTAMBEN/2016 dated 7 April 2016. In 2018, PT QSS obtained a production operation IUP and a plan and budget of activities (RKAB) covering an area of 4,084 hectares based on Head of the Province’s Investment and One-Stop Service Office Decree No. 503/136/MINERBA/DPMPTSP-C.II/2018 dated 12 December 2018. The grant of this IUP allegedly occurred without proper due diligence and allegedly used data that were not accurate. It contravenes Article 34(4) of Government Regulation No. 23 of 2010. Investigators suspect PT QSS misused the IUP by mining beyond the government-approved location. Sudianto then collaborated with state organisers to export the ore using documents belonging to PT QSS. The bauxite ore has been sold from 2020 to 2024 with export approval documents issued without proper verification in collaboration with state organisers. Sudianto is charged under Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20(a) or (c) of Law No. 1 of 2023 regarding the Criminal Code, in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 on the Eradication of Corruption, subclause Article 604 in conjunction with Article 20(a) or (c) of the KUHP, in conjunction with Article 18 of the Law on Eradication of Corruption, in conjunction with Article 618 in conjunction with Article 20(a) or (c) of the KUHP. (H-2) Therefore, Jaringan Aktivis Nusantara has requested the application of the Money Laundering Crime (TPPU) provision to the suspects. The Deputy Director of Jampidsus, Kejagung, Syarif Sulaeman Nahdi, said the designation of suspects was the result of ongoing developments. The three new suspects include HS (Hendry Sulfian), Head of the Shipping and Port Authority (KSOP) Rangga Ilung, Central Kalimantan. While serving as head of KSOP Rangga Ilung, HS issued a sailing clearance to PT MCM and other companies affiliated with PT AKT. The three new suspects were named in a case that has been ongoing since 2016 to 2025.