KLHK Ensures Illegal Miners In Toli-Toli District, Central Sulawesi To Be Prosecuted Immediately

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Law Enforcement (Ditjen Gakkum) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) confirmed that the suspect of illegal gold mining in the Gunung Dako Forest Management Unit (KPH) area, Toli-Toli Regency, Central Sulawesi will soon be tried.

Head of the Balai Gakkum KLHK Sulawesi Region Dodi Kurniawa said the process could be carried out after the Central Sulawesi High Prosecutor's Office stated that the investigation files were complete.

"Thank you to the team of investigators who have worked hard. This hard work is proof that the Directorate General of Law Enforcement has never stopped pursuing perpetrators of environmental and forestry crimes even though it is still during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dodi, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, October 6.

Dodi explained that the case was started with the Forest Security Operations Team of the KLHK Balai Gakkum Sulawesi Region Section II Palu in collaboration with KPH Gunung Dako on August 29, 2021, successfully detaining the suspect with the initials A.

The operation also succeeded in securing an excavator which was used to mine gold illegally in a limited production forest area in the Gunung Dako KPH area.

He emphasized that suspect A will be subject to criminal charges based on Article 89 Paragraph 1 Jo. Article 17 Paragraph 1 Letter a and Letter b of Law No. 18 of 2013 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction, as amended by Article 37 of Law no. 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation.

Another article that can be imposed on a suspect is Article 78 Paragraph 2 Letter a of Law No. 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry which has also been amended by Article 36 of Law No. 11 of 2020.