Menhut: No Forest Release, Kuansing Regent Envelope Returned

Minister of Forestry (Menhut) Raja Juli Antoni during a press conference regarding the name infringement in the KPK OTT of the Regent of Kuantan Singingi at the Ministry of Forestry Office, Jakarta, Friday (3/7/2026). ANTARA/Lintang Budiyanti Prameswari.

JAKARTA - Minister of Forestry (Menhut) Raja Juli Antoni confirmed that there was no forest release in the Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing) area, Riau, to respond to the issue of smuggling his name which was also associated with the post-OTT KPK news of Kuansing Regent Suhardiman Amby.

Raja Juli explained in detail the chronology of the meeting with the Regent of Kuansing, the process of returning the envelope left after the meeting, to the affirmation that his party had never issued a decision to release forest areas in Kuansing Regency.

"There is not a single SK that I have issued for the release of forest areas in Kuantan Singingi. There is not an inch of forest area in Kuantan Singingi that I have issued as an Area of Other Use or APL," said Menhut as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 3.

Raja Juli emphasized that the Ministry of Finance would continue to fully support the legal process carried out by the KPK while strengthening clean, transparent, and accountable forest governance.

He said that this commitment was in line with the President's mandate to build clean, transparent, accountable, and corruption-free forest governance.

"I was entrusted by the President to create a forest governance system that is anti-corruption, anti-bribery, accountable, and transparent. We appreciate what the KPK has done. We are ready to help because this is part of the improvement process in the Ministry of Forestry if there is indeed a violation," said Raja Juli.

Raja Juli also explained that the meeting with the Regent of Kuansing took place on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, after the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government officially applied for an audience with the Ministry of Finance.

According to him, the entire process took place openly and according to procedure. The hearing was initiated by an official letter of request from the local government, published through the Ministry of Forestry's social media, and was accompanied by a list of attendees and a memorandum which were all ready to be submitted to the KPK if necessary.

"The meeting was an official audience. There was a letter of request, a list of attendees, a report, and it was published through the Kemenhut social media. All the documents are ready to be handed over to the KPK if needed," he said.

After the hearing was over, King Juli admitted that he had just found out about the sealed envelope left by the Regent of Kuansing. Without opening or knowing the contents of the envelope, he immediately ordered his aide to return it because he felt he had no right to the item.

"In the audience, it turned out that the Regent of Kuansing left an envelope sealed with a map. When he left, I asked my aide to return the envelope. I don't know what it contains, but I feel I don't have a right to the envelope," he said.

Raja Juli explained that the return of the envelope could not be done immediately because it coincided with the agenda of the service which required his aide to continue to accompany him.

After the Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry issued a letter of assignment, Raja Juli then contacted the Riau Police Chief to help facilitate a meeting between his aide and the Regent of Kuantan Singingi.

The return of the envelope was finally carried out on June 12, 2026 at the Kuantan Singingi Police. The entire process was documented and equipped with a stamped receipt.

"I personally called the Riau Police Chief to help facilitate my aide meeting with the Regent of Kuantan Singingi at the Kuantan Singingi Police. This is my moral responsibility and my responsibility to the public as part of efforts to prevent gratification," he said.

Raja Juli emphasized that the return of the envelope was carried out about 17 days before the KPK carried out a hand-to-hand operation against the Regent of Kuantan Singingi.