Ditolak Praperadilan, 12 Tersangka PETI di TN Tanjung Puting Dilimpahkan Kemenhut ke Kejaksaan

Illustration - Aerial view of the Tanjung Puting National Park area, a tropical forest whose land has physical and chemical elements as a source of emission reduction in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan. ANTARA FOTO/Makna Zaezar/wsj/aa

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) continues the legal process against 12 suspects of unlicensed gold mining (PETI) in the Tanjung Puting National Park (TN), Central Kalimantan, after their pretrial application was rejected by the Pangkalan Bun District Court.

Head of the Forestry Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) for the Kalimantan Region, Leonardo Gultom, expressed his commitment to completing the case that threatens the native habitat of the Kalimantan orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) to the green table.

"We appreciate the judge's decision which strengthens our investigation procedures. This success is the result of strong synergy between the Forestry Gakkum, Tanjung Puting TN Office, Ditreskrimsus, Sat Brimob Polda Kalteng, to the High Prosecutor's Office. With the rejection of this pretrial, we immediately handed over the suspects and evidence to the Prosecutor's Office for justice for the sustainability of our forests," said Leonardo Gultom in a statement confirmed from Jakarta, Monday, quoted by Antara.

Previously, 12 suspects of illegal gold mining activities (PETI) in the Tanjung Puting TN area, namely HD (45), SEL (27), HT (50), HM (41), KA (46), KE (48), YH (30), JM (43), SY (45), MR (40), SPY (48), SLA (41) filed a pretrial application to the Pangkalan Bun PN against the investigation process conducted by the PPNS Balai Gakkum Forestry Regional Kalimantan.

The pretrial application is filed regarding the legality or otherwise of the arrest, detention, seizure and designation of suspects.

The investigation conducted was a follow-up to the joint operation activities in Tanjung Puting National Park which were carried out in November 2025 by a team from the Tanjung Puting National Park Office, the Kalimantan Regional Gakkum Office, the Criminal Investigation Unit and the Central Kalimantan Police Sat Brimob.

In the joint operation, 12 perpetrators who were carrying out gold mining activities in the Tanjung Puting TN area, which is the habitat of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), were caught. The perpetrators were then secured and taken to Palangka Raya for further investigation.

The trial took place on February 9-13, 2026 at the Pangkalan Bun PN, revealing legal facts that cannot be denied by the applicant. The agenda of the trial includes the submission of answers, replications, and duplicates; the submission of evidence of letters and the examination of witnesses; and conclusions.

In an open hearing on Wednesday (18/2), the judge ruled that all the arguments submitted by the 12 suspects were not proven and did not have a strong legal basis. The judge stated that all stages of the investigation conducted by the PPNS Forestry Gakkum Palace were in accordance with the applicable legal corridor.

With this legal victory, investigators at the Kalimantan Regional Gakkum Office moved quickly to complete the case file. The second phase (suspects and evidence) will be handed over to the West Kotawaringin District Attorney's Office immediately to begin the prosecution process.

This firm step was taken as a form of a stern warning against illegal activities in conservation areas. Tanjung Puting National Park is not just a stretch of forest, but the last stronghold for Indonesia's biodiversity that must be protected from destructive exploitation practices.