The Trail of 'Crazy Rich' Samin Tan: Escaped KPK Case in the Past, Now a Suspect with the Attorney General's Office

Samin Tan (ST) has recently been designated as a suspect by the Attorney General’s Office in a corruption case involving irregularities in the management of mining operations in Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan. Who is Samin Tan? Samin Tan is known to have once been included in the list of Indonesia’s richest individuals. Previously, he escaped a bribery case with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). According to detikcom reports, Samin Tan appeared on the list of Indonesia’s 40 richest people released by Forbes magazine in 2011. At that time, the top three richest individuals for 2011 were still held by the Hartono brothers (owners of Djarum), Susilo Wonowidjojo (Gudang Garam), and Eka Tjipta Widjaja (Sinarmas Group). From that list, Samin Tan was in 28th position. He was said to have wealth of USD 940 million, or approximately Rp 13 trillion. In 2019, Samin Tan was examined multiple times by the KPK regarding a bribery case and eventually went into hiding. Samin Tan was added to the wanted persons list (DPO) on 6 May 2020. He became a fugitive after evading KPK examination summonses. After nearly a year on the run, Samin Tan was finally arrested by the KPK. Samin Tan was charged as a suspect in the alleged bribery case involving former Deputy Chair of Commission VII of the DPR, Eni Maulani Saragih. The KPK stated that Samin Tan, as the owner of PT Borneo Lumbung Energi & Metal, gave a bribe of Rp 5 billion to Eni Saragih. Samin Tan was demanded by KPK prosecutors to be sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of Rp 250 million subsidiary 6 months imprisonment. The judge held a different opinion. In 2021, the judge acquitted Samin Tan. He was not proven to have given a Rp 5 billion bribe to Eni and was considered a victim of extortion. Samin Tan’s acquittal was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2022. Mining Corruption Suspect Years later, Samin Tan’s name has resurfaced. Samin Tan has been detained by the Attorney General’s Office. Samin Tan, as the beneficial owner of PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT), has been designated as a suspect in the corruption case of irregularities in mining management in Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan. It is known that the permit of PT AKT, a coal mining contractor, was revoked in 2017. However, after the permit was revoked, PT AKT continued illegal mining and sales of mining products unlawfully and in violation of the law. This activity continued until 2025. “Suspect ST through PT AKT and its affiliates unlawfully continued mining and sales using invalid licensing documents by colluding with state officials tasked with supervising mining activities, thereby harming the state finances and/or the national economy,” said Director of Special Criminal Investigation at the Attorney General’s Office, Syarief, on Saturday (28/3/2026). The designation of the suspect was made after the investigation team obtained sufficient evidence through a series of investigative actions, namely witness examinations and searches conducted in the provinces of DKI Jakarta, West Java, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. “Searches are still ongoing, especially in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,” said Syarief. In the future, the Attorney General’s Office will track Samin Tan’s assets. In addition, the Attorney General’s Office will also track the assets of PT AKT and its affiliates. “ST is detained for the next 20 days at the Salemba Detention Centre Branch of the Attorney General’s Office,” he added.