Company Boss Becomes Mining Corruption Suspect In North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi

Head of the Southeast Sulawesi Attorney General's Office, Patris Yusrian Jaya, in Kendari, Friday (23/6/2023) (ANTARA/Harianto)

The Southeast Sulawesi High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati Sultra) has named a new suspect on suspicion of corruption in nickel mining that operates in one of the areas of North Konawe Regency (Konut).

"Today we have named another suspect, namely the brother of the OPN as Director of PT LAM," said Head of the Southeast Sulawesi Attorney General's Office, Yusrian Jaya in Kendari, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, June 23.

Patris said the appointment of the Director of PT LAM as a new suspect in the case after being questioned several times as a witness by the Southeast Sulawesi Attorney General's Office investigators. Even so, the suspect was not detained by the Attorney General's Office.

"Yang tersangka belum diperiksa hari ini tapi sudah diperiksa beberapa kali sebagai saksi, di beberapa waktu lalu. Sekarang kita tetapkan sebagai tersangka dan hari ini juga akan kita sentang panggilan untuk yang bersangkutan sebagai tersangka," ujar dia.

Patris explained that the suspect's modus operandi was to mine in the mining permit area (WIUP) of a mining company called PT A in the North Konawe area, where the results were sold to a number of smelters using flying or fake documents.

"So this illegal nickel ore is legalized with fake documents that in mining practice are known as flying documents," Patris explained.

With one new suspect being named, the number of suspects in the alleged mining corruption case being investigated by the Southeast Sulawesi Prosecutor's Office in the North Konawe Regency area is four people.

The four suspects are the General Manager of PT A with the initials HW, the Director of PT KKP with the initials AA, the executor of PT LAM with the initials GS, including the Director of PT LAM with the initials OPN.

Of the four suspects in this case, the Attorney General's Office has only detained one suspect, namely the executor of PT LAM with the initials GS. The detention was carried out for 20 days at the Kendari Class IIA Detention Center, starting from June 19 to July 8, 2023.

Meanwhile, for the number of nickel ore allegedly exploited from 2022 to 2023 by the suspects and state losses in the case, Patris said that his party was still calculating with the help of auditors.

The Southeast Sulawesi Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate who is involved in the alleged criminal act of mining corruption in one of the areas of North Konawe Regency.

"A number of witnesses continue to be examined to trace the extent of their involvement in this alleged corruption case. Everyone has the potential to become a suspect if there is involvement," said Patris.