19 East Java ESDM Officers Return Rp707 Million in Bribery Money to the Attorney General's Office

SURABAYA - A total of 19 employees of the Mining Department of the East Java Energy and Mineral Resources Agency (ESDM) returned the money from the alleged illegal tax (pungli) for mining permits to the East Java High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati). The total amount of money returned reached Rp. 707 million.

The Special Criminal Assistant of the East Java Attorney General's Office, Wagiyo, said the return was carried out gradually and based on the good faith of the employees who had the status of witnesses in the case.

"With good faith without coercion, we appeal to all staff in the mining sector to gradually return the money from the extortion," said Wagiyo, quoted by Antara, Friday, April 24.

He explained that the money returned came from the distribution of extortion funds received regularly every month for about two years, with a nominal ranging from Rp. 750 thousand to Rp. 2.5 million per person, depending on the position and workload.

According to Wagiyo, the extortion practice is suspected to have taken place systematically and structured, with the distribution of funds being carried out at the end of each month at the direction of two suspects, namely OS as Head of the Mining Sector and AM as Head of the East Java ESDM Office.

In addition, investigators also seized one unit of a 2022 Toyota Fortuner VRZ 4x2 AT car belonging to the suspect OS, which was allegedly purchased from the illegal practice.

"From the results of the investigation, the vehicle was suspected of being obtained from money sourced from the practice of extortion," he said.

In the development of the case, investigators previously searched the East Java ESDM Office on April 20 for six hours and found a number of important documents.

Among them are the file of a mining permit application that was allegedly deliberately held even though the requirements were complete, as well as records of financial distribution and disposition of leaders that were allegedly the basis of an invalid order.

The East Java Prosecutor's Office emphasized that the investigation was still being developed, including tracing the possibility of funds flowing to other parties in the case.