KPK Highlights Illegal Mines Near Mandalika That Can Produce 3 Kg Of Gold Per Day

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission revealed that it had found illegal mining and mining practices without a permit (PETI) some time ago in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The mine site is not far from the Mandalika circuit and only takes 1 hour to travel.

Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Prevention Task Force V Dian Patria said, in his investigation, this gold commodity mine without a permit could produce 3 kilograms (kg) of gold per day.

"This is in Lombok, Lendek Bare Hamlet, Sekotong, West Lombok. This is an illegal mine, a gold mine, 3 kg one day," said Dian at the Minerba Convex event, Thursday, October 16.

He added, based on his observations using drones on October 4, 2024, his party also found a cyanide pond not far from the mine site. According to him, this illegal mining practice not only harms the state in terms of income, but also the environment and the community's economy.

"That's what the public and the local government (local government) complained about. The loss of state revenue, loss of public income," he continued.

He added that the area had also been proposed as a mining area for the people (WPR) but based on findings in the field, the managers were not native people and could not speak Indonesian.

"My question is which people? Now the people we meet can't speak Indonesian. I don't know where I came from," said Dian.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the people around the illegal mining area are poor people who have not been affected by the abundance of gold commodities.

"In fact, in areas where there are many mines, based on BPS data, the poorest regions are shown," he said.