Illegal Mining by Samin Tan: Attorney General's Office Still Hunting State Officials

The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) of Indonesia is still pursuing perpetrators from the state apparatus in the Samin Tan illegal mining case. Director of Investigation of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Syarif Sulaeman Nahdi made the statement during a press conference on Friday (27/3). “In this case, there is collaboration with state officials tasked with supervising mining activities,” said Syarif. However, to date, Kejagung has not yet identified suspects from the state officials in this case. “For now, no. But as I mentioned earlier, this constitutes a criminal act of corruption because it is suspected to involve collaboration with state officials,” Syarif added. Kejagung has designated Samin Tan, as the beneficial owner of PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT), as a suspect in alleged corruption related to the mismanagement of mining operations. Syarif explained that the suspect designation was made after investigators obtained sufficient evidence through a series of actions, including witness examinations and searches conducted in the provinces of DKI Jakarta, West Java, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. Although a suspect has been named, Kejagung’s investigative team is still conducting searches, particularly in South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. ST is the beneficial owner of PT AKT, a coal mining company based on the Coal Mining Business Work Agreement (PKP2B), whose licence was revoked in 2017. “After the revocation, PT AKT continued to carry out mining and the illegal and unlawful sale of mining products until 2025,” said Syarif. Furthermore, Syarif explained that Samin Tan, through PT AKT and its affiliates, has unlawfully conducted mining and sales by violating invalid permits in collaboration with state officials. “[State officials] who are tasked with supervising mining activities, thereby causing losses to state finances or the national economy,” he clarified. The suspects are charged under 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 Kejagung.