'Crazy Rich' Samin Tan, Once Acquitted by KPK, Now a Suspect in Two Cases

The name of PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT) boss Samin Tan has resurfaced in alleged corruption cases. Samin Tan now holds suspect status in two separate cases, at the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) and the National Police’s Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipikor). Samin Tan became known to the public as one of Indonesia’s richest people, or ‘crazy rich’, according to Forbes magazine in 2011. He was included in the list of the 40 richest people in Indonesia at that time. His name later emerged in a bribery case involving former House of Representatives member Eni Saragih, which was handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2019. Samin Tan was placed on a wanted list in May 2020 after failing to appear for summons several times. He was arrested by the KPK on 5 April 2021 and subsequently stood trial. Samin Tan was acquitted. The KPK did not accept the verdict and filed an appeal, but the Supreme Court rejected the cassation. In March 2026, the Attorney General’s Office named Samin Tan a suspect in a new case. He was immediately detained. The AGO suspects Samin Tan, as the beneficial owner of PT AKT, of committing irregularities in mining operations in Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan. The company’s mining permit was revoked in 2017, but PT AKT allegedly continued to mine and sell coal illegally until 2025. The latest case involves the police’s Kortas Tipikor, which named Samin Tan a suspect alongside three others. The case concerns alleged corruption in the sale of high-speed diesel (HSD) fuel between PT Pertamina Patra Niaga (PT PPN) and PT AKT. The scheme occurred between 2009 and 2012. Investigators stated that despite PT AKT’s repeated payment delays and defaults, fuel deliveries continued. An agreement addendum was made that allegedly benefited PT AKT without proper reporting to superiors. The police stated that PT AKT obtained fuel sales financing facilities on a very large scale without adequate collateral. The total state loss from the unpaid fuel deliveries is estimated at USD 30,370,958.61, equivalent to approximately Rp 486 billion.