2 Company Bosses Become Illegal Mining Suspects In Southeast Sulawesi

The police have named two mining company bosses as suspects in a suspected illegal mining case in a forest area in Marmobo Village, Lasolo Islands District, North Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province (Sultra).

Both are Hs as Director of PT Buana Tama Mineralindo (BTM) and AR as Director of PT Bumi Nickel Pratama (BNP).

Director of Criminal Investigation at the Southeast Sulawesi Police, Kombes Pol. Bambang Wijanarko, said that this case began with a public report on Friday, September 15.

"At that location, officers checked and found that there was a nickel ore mining activity allegedly carried out by PT. BTM using three excavators," said Bambang in Kendari Monday, October 2, quoted by Antara.

Based on the results of the investigation, he said, PT BTM carried out nickel ore mining activities based on a cooperation contract with PT BNP and mining costs charged to PT BTM amounting to Rp500 million.

Bambang explained that the investigation into the alleged illegal mining case, his party clarified the related witnesses and to mining criminal experts from the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explaining that the mining location of PT BTM does not have a mining business permit (IUP).

"That investigators have clarified against forestry criminal experts appointed from the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service, which explains that the location of PT BTM mining is in a forest area," he said.

Bambang said, to account for his actions, the two suspects, Hs and AR, would be charged with Article 89 Paragraph (1) letter a of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18 of 2013 concerning the prevention and eradication of forest destruction, Jo. Article 17 Paragraph (1) letter b Number 5 Article 37 paragraph 4 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 6 of 2023 concerning the stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 concerning job creation into law.

"Individual people who deliberately carry out mining activities in forest areas without a ministerial permit as referred to in Article 17 paragraph (1) letter b shall be sentenced to a minimum imprisonment of three years and a maximum of 15 years and a minimum fine of IDR 1.5 billion and a maximum of IDR 10 billion," said Bambang.

In addition, said Bambang, according to Article 158 in conjunction with Article 35 of Law No. 3 of 2020 concerning amendments to Law No. 4 of 2009 concerning mineral and coal mining, the two perpetrators face a maximum imprisonment of five years and a maximum fine of Rp. 100 billion.