Bareskrim Seizes PT SJU Facilities Linked to Illegal Mining Crimes
Sidoarjo, East Java (ANTARA) - The Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police has seized facilities and infrastructure belonging to PT Simba Jaya Utama (SJU) in Waru District, Sidoarjo, East Java, as part of an investigation into alleged illegal mining and money laundering offences.
Bareskrim’s Director of Special Economic Crimes, Brigadier General Ade Safri Simanjuntak, stated on Thursday that the objects seized include complete gold refining machinery and equipment, as well as office buildings and a processing plant suspected of facilitating the processing of gold from illegal mining activities.
‘Today, investigators have carried out the seizure of facilities and infrastructure used by PT SJU to process or refine gold suspected to originate from unlicensed gold mining,’ said Ade.
He explained that the seizure was conducted based on a ruling by the Sidoarjo District Court as part of the case development concerning the collection, processing, refining, transportation, and sale of gold suspected to come from unlicensed mining activities in several areas, including West Kalimantan and West Papua.
Ade detailed that in this case, investigators had previously named three suspects with the initials TW, DW, and BSW, who are managers of PT Semar Permata Emas Mulia as well as the owners of Toko Emas Semar Nganjuk, for alleged violations of the Mineral and Coal Law and money laundering offences.
He stated that investigation results indicate gold suspected to be from unlicensed mining was purchased from various parties, then refined at PT SJU’s facilities before being processed into gold bars of various purities and sizes.
According to him, investigators also discovered the alleged use of multiple bank accounts to place and transact the proceeds of crime with the aim of concealing or disguising the origin of assets derived from criminal acts.
From the case development, he said, investigators named two new suspects: DHB, who previously served as a Director of PT SJU from August 2021 to September 2022, and VC, who has served as Director of PT SJU from September 2022 to the present.
Meanwhile, another alleged perpetrator with the initials SB has been declared deceased, resulting in the legal proceedings against the individual being annulled.
‘We will continue to develop the investigation to target all parties involved in the chain of unlicensed mining crimes, from the miners and collectors to those who disguise the proceeds of crime through money laundering,’ said Ade.