Profile of Samin Tan, Indonesia's 'Crazy Rich' Entangled in Illegal Mining Case

Businessman Samin Tan has been designated as a suspect in the case of mismanagement of mining operations at PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT) by the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung). “We have designated one suspect, namely Mr ST,” stated the Director of Investigation of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi during a press conference on Saturday (28/3). In this case, PT AKT, owned by Samin Tan, is alleged to have continued mining and selling coal despite its permit being revoked since 2017. This mining and sales activity is then considered unlawful and in violation of the law. Samin Tan himself has long been recorded as one of Indonesia’s ‘crazy rich’. His name was once listed as one of the richest people in Indonesia according to Forbes in 2011. At that time, he was ranked 28th. Samin Tan once studied at Tarumanagara University. However, this education was not continued since 1987. That means Samin Tan is actually one of Indonesia’s billionaires who did not graduate from university. This man, born in Teluk Pinang, Riau on 3 March 1964, is the owner of the coal company PT Borneo Lumbung Energi. Meanwhile, at PT AKT, which is now embroiled in the case, he sits as the beneficial owner. Through this coal business, Samin Tan amassed his fortune. Samin Tan’s career path is quite long. He began his career by joining the public accounting firm Peat Marwick. From there, he joined several companies, built business relations with the Bakrie Group, until finally taking over PT Borneo Lumbung Energi, which is now his main business. Under Samin Tan’s leadership, PT Borneo Lumbung Energi became one of Indonesia’s leading coal producers. The company produces high-quality metallurgical coal. The peak of Samin Tan’s career was when he served as Chairman of Bumi Plc. This mining company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was during that time that he was recorded as one of Indonesia’s richest people according to Forbes, with wealth reaching US$940 million. However, this success did not make Samin Tan’s journey smooth. He has been entangled in legal cases multiple times. He was once designated as a suspect in an alleged bribery and gratification case related to the termination of the PKP2B contract for PT AKT in 2019. He even made it onto the wanted list (DPO) and was arrested in April 2021. However, in that case, Samin Tan managed to escape legal consequences. In August 2021, the Jakarta Corruption Court acquitted Samin Tan. Most recently, Samin Tan has been designated as a suspect in the management of the PT AKT mine in Central Kalimantan. His company is alleged to have continued illegal mining and sales because the permit had been revoked. Now, Samin Tan must be confined in the Salemba Detention Centre Branch of the Attorney General’s Office for the next 20 days.