Mining Company Linked to North Maluku Governor Under Investigation for Alleged Violations
Jakarta, VIVA – PT Karya Wijaya, a mining company allegedly owned by North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda, has come under scrutiny.
The Task Force on Forest Area Enforcement (PKH) has acknowledged that the company is undergoing verification following alleged operational violations. However, the taskforce has emphasised that no final decision has been made as the process of data investigation remains ongoing.
“The process is still underway with no final results yet because there are discrepancies in verifiable data that will be presented when the time comes,” said PKH taskforce spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak on Wednesday, 3 March 2026.
The data discrepancies mentioned, according to Barita, must still be reconciled before the taskforce can conclude whether violations have occurred. He also assured that all steps taken are purely based on applicable legal regulations.
Beyond North Maluku, the PKH taskforce is currently conducting a large-scale verification of hundreds of mining companies across various regions of Indonesia. A total of 14 provinces and 30 districts/cities are included in the inspection process, covering land area of 37,990,693 hectares.
“In Southeast Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, North Maluku, Papua, Bangka Belitung, Gorontalo, North Sumatra, Maluku, and North Sulawesi,” he said.
Overall, 191 companies are undergoing verification. They operate in various mining commodities, ranging from nickel, coal, copper ore, gold, limestone, marble, quartz sand, iron ore, iron laterite, peridotite and other sectors.
Scrutiny of PT Karya Wijaya intensified after the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) stated that the company had been imposed with a fine over alleged illegal nickel mining activities. The activity reportedly took place on land covering 51.3 hectares on Gebe Island, Central Halmahera, North Maluku.
The PKH taskforce has emphasised that verification results will be announced after the entire data collection and cross-checking process is completed. For now, the public is asked to await the outcome as no official conclusion regarding the alleged violations has yet been reached.