Intending To Investigate Alleged Delivery Of 5 Million Illegal Nickel Ore To China, KPK Seeks Information

DOC VOI

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is now gathering information on the delivery of 5 million illegal nickel ore to China. This effort was made before conducting an investigation into alleged criminal acts.

"The plan is of course there will be (investigation, ed). But before the investigation there is a stage where we investigate first, gather information first," Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Asep Guntur told reporters, Thursday, July 6.

This deepening is important to do to collect information and evidence as initial material. "Because we have to be sure that the source, documents must exist, the documents of the information must exist," he said.

The KPK has sniffed out allegations of illegal nickel ore exports from January 2020 to June 2022. This mining product was sent from Indonesia to China.

"(Alleged illegal exports of nickel ore, ed) from January 2020 to June 2022. The source of the Chinese Customs website," said Head of the KPK Region V Coordination and Supervision Task Force Dian Patria to reporters, Friday, June 23.

Dian said there were five million tons of illegal nickel ore sent to China based on his studies. However, Dian said the data on the customs site did not include detailed information about the area of origin of exports.

"It should have come from the granary of the Sulawesi and North Maluku nickel ore," he said.

Responding to this finding, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan admitted that he had not received any information from the KPK. He only emphasized that he would check the truth of this.

"It's good if you find it, we'll find someone who imports it," said Luhut when met by the media crew at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Building, quoted on Saturday, June 24.

"If anything, it can be punished," he said.