business

The Minister Of Energy And Mineral Resources Has Handed Over Illegal Mining Operations In The National Capital City To Law Enforcement

The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has referred the case of illegal mining in the area of the new capital city, Nusantara, East Kalimantan, to law enforcement authorities.

"If it is illegal mining, it falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies (APH)," stated Bahlil when he was met at the ESDM Ministry in Jakarta on Friday.

Bahlil emphasized that the role of the ESDM Ministry is to oversee mines that have obtained the necessary permits.

If there are mines that are illegal or lack permits, then such mines are the responsibility of law enforcement.

"Mines that do not have permits are not within our jurisdiction; they belong to law enforcement, indeed," Bahlil remarked.

The police (Polri) have uncovered illegal coal mining activities in the conservation area of the new capital city (IKN), East Kalimantan, which are estimated to have caused state losses amounting to Rp5.7 trillion.

The Director of the Directorate for Certain Criminal Acts of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Dir Dittipidter Bareskrim) of the National Police, Brigadier General Police (Brigjen Pol) Nunung Syaifuddin, revealed that illegal coal mining in the Soeharto Grand Forest Park (Tahura), located in the Samboja District of Kutai Kertanegara Regency, has been ongoing since 2016.

"To date, the area of the mining site has reached 160 hectares," he stated to reporters in Surabaya on Thursday, July 17.

According to investigations by the National Police, the results of the illegal coal mining have been collected in a stockroom for packaging in sacks.

These were then distributed via sea routes using containers through the Kariangau Terminal in East Kalimantan, with the destination being the Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya.

It was revealed that the containers containing coal from the illegal mining operations were accompanied by official documents from two companies holding mining operation permits, namely MMJ and BMJ, which are headquartered in Kutai Kertanegara.

Meanwhile, the police have identified three suspects, namely YH and CH as the sellers, and MH as the buyer for resale.

"The IKN represents the dignity of the government, so we must ensure it is clear and clean. There should be no more illegal activities, especially mining in the IKN area," Brigjen Nunung emphasized.

---

Tag: Bahlil Lahadalia ESDM National Capital City