Coal Mining Corruption In Bengkulu, Prosecutor's Office Explores Money Laundering Elements

JAKARTA - The Bengkulu High Prosecutor's Office is investigating the alleged crime of money laundering (TPPU) in the coal mining corruption case which has also increased forests in Central Bengkulu Regency.

"The investigation process for the alleged money laundering offenses in this case is ongoing. The confiscation of assets that have been carried out could lead to evidence of money laundering offenses, we are currently still investigating it," said Assistant Supervisory of the Bengkulu High Prosecutor's Office who is also the Head of the investigating team Andri Kurniawan in Bengkulu City, Sunday, July 27, confiscated by Antara.

This is because state losses in the case of corruption in the production and exploration of mining owned by PT Ratu Samban Mining and PT Tunas Bara Jaya reached more than Rp500 billion, a total of environmental damage caused or the main result of the lack of justice that occurred during coal mining and during coal sales.

He said that the disclosure of the money laundering scheme was an important step to uncover the practice of disguised assets resulting from corruption, which the perpetrators often did to avoid tracking.

"We are looking at the possibility of an attempt to disguise assets. If proven, it will certainly add to the list of legal snares for the suspect," he said.

Andri also emphasized that the Bengkulu Attorney General's Office is committed to eradicating corruption to its roots, including by ensuring that the perpetrators no longer be able to enjoy the proceeds of crime.

Previously, the Bengkulu Attorney General's Office had named five coal mining entrepreneurs in Bengkulu Province as suspects in the alleged corruption case of mining production and exploration belonging to PT Ratu Samban Mining and PT Tunas Bara Jaya.

The five suspects are Tunas Bara Jaya Commissioner Bebby Hussy, General Manager of PT Inti Bara Perdana Saskya Hussy, President Director of Tunas Bara Jaya Julius Soh, Marketing of PT Inti Bara Perdana Agusman, Director of Tunas Bara Jaya Sutarman.

The five suspects, who are also coal mining entrepreneurs in Bengkulu Province, also sold coal illegally or illegally in accordance with applicable regulations.

"We are dealing with acts against the law or blaming finances, causing state losses. The characters are different from general criminal mining laws. One of the roles of these five suspects is the fact that before the sale and purchase process, it means that the acquisition is invalid, so we have calculated at the beginning that we concluded because it was not the goods and then sold them," explained Bengkulu Special Prosecutor's Office Investigation Section Head Danang Prasetyo.

For mining business permits (IUP) PT Ratu Samban Mining (RSM) has been problematic since 2011, while the findings of irregularities in coal sales are carried out from 2021 to 2022.