Antam Boss Denies 109 Tons Of Gold Circulating Counterfeit: It's About Cap Holidays Not Charged

Director of PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) Nicolas D Kanter. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

JAKARTA - Director of PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) Nicolas D Kanter denied that the 109 tons of gold that had been circulating in the community were fake.

He said all the precious metals were genuine and some were produced through the Mulia Metal Processing and Purification Business Unit (UBPPLM).

"In the media, it writes 109 tons of fake gold, even though if we hear it in its statement (the Prosecutor's Office) it doesn't mention fake gold at all. That's why the Kapuspen finally explained that it wasn't fake gold. That's the most important thing for us," he said in a meeting with Commission VI of the DPR, at the DPR RI Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, June 3.

Nico said the case currently being handled by the AGO was not related to counterfeiting gold.

However, related to the process of melting the cap or brand ringing, which is free of charge. The AGO also considers that it is detrimental to the state.

"In the process of melting this stamp, there is a branding, or license seen by the Prosecutor's Office, it is detrimental. So this is processed in Antam, but we do not charge license or branding fees. So, there is a gold stamp that we give because with the stamp it increases the value too," he said.

Regarding the melting of the cap or Alicecing, Nico admitted that he would conduct a study to ensure that this issue caused state losses or not.

Including the exact value if it causes losses.

Adapaun dalam melakukan kajian tersebut Antam akan menggandeng pihak ketiga dalam hal ini Lembaga Ketahanan Nasional (Lemhanas) dan Institusi Teknologi Bandung (ITB).

"This study is what we are doing again. It's not just ANTAM, but we ask from a third party (to participate). If ANTAM is said to be just defending itself, but if we have to make it, we will make it, for example from Lemhanas, or from ITB," he explained.

Previously reported, the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the Attorney General's Office named six General Managers of the Mulia Metal Management and Purification Business Unit (UBPPLM) PT Antam Tbk for the 2010-2022 period in the case of alleged corruption in the governance of gold commodities for the period 2010-2022 weighing 109 tons.

The Director of Investigation at the Jampidsus Attorney General's Office Kuntadi explained that the suspects as GM UBPPLM PT Antam had abused their authority by carrying out activities illegally against manufacturing services which should be in the form of merger, purification and printing of precious metals.

As a result of the actions of the suspects, said Kuntadi, during this period, precious metals had been printed with various sizes of 109 tons which were then circulated in the market simultaneously with metal starting with the official PT Antam product.

"So this illegally branded precious metal has eroded the market from PT Antam's precious metals, so that the losses have become more numerous," he said.