PKH Task Force: Designation of Suspect Samin Tan Serves as Warning to Others

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Spokesperson for the Task Force for Regulating Forest Areas (Satgas PKH), Barita Simanjuntak, stated that the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) designating ST (Samin Tan) as a suspect in the alleged criminal corruption case of mismanagement in PT AKT’s mining operations serves as a warning to other parties. According to him, companies summoned by Satgas PKH must fulfil their obligations to the state, as stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 5 of 2025 on forest regulation. “If there is bad faith, the state’s instruments will certainly work to ensure compliance with those regulations is carried out and adhered to by anyone in our rule of law,” Barita said during a press conference on the designation of suspect ST at the Attorney General’s Office building in Jakarta on Saturday morning. He stated that the Kejagung’s designation of ST as a suspect is part of Satgas PKH’s consistency in ensuring the enforcement of legal rules in regulatory activities. Furthermore, he said, the authorised investigators will develop the case ensnaring ST, including seeking other parties allegedly involved and related in the legal construction according to the evidence in the investigation. In this regard, he also appreciated the performance of the Attorney General’s Office in uncovering the case ensnaring ST. According to him, Satgas PKH also retook control of the forest managed by PT AKT in January 2026. “We have issued warnings, alerts, and the task force, in accordance with its duties and authority, has coordinated and informed law enforcement apparatus also within the task force, for steps in law enforcement,” he said. Previously, the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) designated a suspect in the alleged criminal corruption case of deviations in mining management, initialled ST, as the beneficial owner or manager of PT AKT, which had been operating illegally from 2017 to 2025. Director of Investigation of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of Kejagung, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, explained that PT AKT, a coal miner based on a PKP2B contract, had its licence revoked in 2017. However, he said, the mining company continued to operate despite being illegal or unauthorised. “PT AKT continued to carry out mining and the sale of mining products unlawfully and against the law until 2025,” said Syarief.