Ministry of Forestry: Manager of Illegal Landfill in Social Forestry Area to be Prosecuted

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has confirmed that the case of misuse of the Social Forestry area in Karawang Regency, West Java, is ongoing, with the suspect, KM, who is the manager of the illegal landfill, to be prosecuted soon.

“The handling of this case is part of the national policy to ensure that the social forestry program runs on track and that forest areas are not infiltrated by illegal activities that damage the environment and harm the community,” said the Director General of Gakkum Kemenhut, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, in a statement confirmed from Jakarta, Thursday.

The Director General of Gakkum Kemenhut reminded that Social Forestry is a state policy to strengthen the welfare of communities around forests in a legal and sustainable manner.

“Therefore, any deviations that use the social forestry area as a cover for illegal activities must be addressed,” he said.

The suspect, KM, was then designated as a suspect because he played a role as the controller of the waste disposal and management activities within the production forest area with his workers.

The case was revealed in response to a complaint from the United Independent Farmers Group of Telukjambe, who rejected the use of the social forestry area in Pasir Ipis as a place for waste disposal and processing.

The Gakkum Forestry Investigation Team together with the SPORC Elang Brigade in November 2025 then went to the production forest area of the Perum Perhutani Pinayungan and Wanakerta Forest Management Units, Telukjambe Forest Management Unit, Purwakarta Forest Management Unit in Puseurjaya Village, Telukjambe Timur District, Karawang Regency.

At the location, the team found a forest area of approximately 5.2 hectares, some of which was used for waste disposal and management activities and used goods without a permit.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Gakkum Forestry Center for the Regions of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, Kemenhut, Aswin Bangun, explained that he had handed over the suspect KM and the evidence of the criminal case to the Public Prosecutor of the Karawang District Attorney’s Office.

“Our focus in the investigation is not just to stop activities at the location, but to build a strong case, identify the role of the controller, the pattern of activities, and the form of use of the forest area without a permit. We consistently carry out law enforcement like this to ensure legal certainty and deterrence, as well as to prevent similar patterns from recurring in other locations,” said Aswin.