East Java Governor Respects Legal Process in Extortion Case at Energy and Mineral Resources Office

Surabaya - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has emphasised that she respects the legal process being carried out by the local High Prosecutor’s Office in handling the alleged extortion case at the Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Department, which implicates its leadership. “Yes, we all certainly leave it to the law enforcement authorities,” Khofifah said in Surabaya on Friday. Khofifah also assured that she will respect the entire series of examinations to thoroughly investigate the case. “We respect the ongoing process,” she stated. Previously, the East Java High Prosecutor’s Office designated the Head of the East Java ESDM Department, initialled AM, as a suspect in the alleged extortion (pungli) case related to mining permits. Assistant for Special Crimes at the East Java Prosecutor’s Office, Wagiyo, said the suspect designation followed an investigation and searches at the East Java ESDM Department office and residences of related parties. “From the results of examinations and collection of evidence, investigators have designated three individuals as suspects,” Wagiyo stated. In this case, investigators found that the permitting process through the Online Single Submission (OSS) system was allegedly deliberately delayed. Permit applicants who did not provide a certain amount of money faced obstacles even though requirements were complete. The extortion amounts varied: for mining permit extensions, ranging from Rp50 million to Rp100 million, and for new permits Rp50 million to Rp200 million. For groundwater exploitation, extensions were Rp5 million to Rp20 million and new permits Rp50 million to Rp80 million. Investigators also seized Rp2.36 billion in cash from the suspects, consisting of cash and funds in accounts, and secured electronic evidence such as transfer proofs, WhatsApp conversations, and permitting documents. The three suspects were immediately detained for the next 20 days for investigation purposes. The East Java Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation will continue to be developed and does not rule out the possibility of new suspects.