$20 Billion Losses to Government in Timah Case: Former Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Official Charged
By Irfan Kamil, Ardito Ramadhan for Kompas.com, July 31, 2024
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Attorney Generals Office has indicted the former head of the Bangka Belitung Islands provincial mining and energy office, Suranto Wibowo, for causing financial losses to the government amounting to IDR300 trillion (approximately $20 billion). According to the indictment, the significant losses were the result of mismanagement of tin commodity trading in the mining concession areas operated by Indonesia’s state-owned tin mining company PT Timah Tbk between 2015 and 2022.
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/illegal-mining-fuels-social-conflict-in-indonesian-tin-hub-of-bangka-belitung/
“The state suffered financial losses of Rp300,003,263,938,131 (approximately $20 billion),” alleged prosecutor Ardito Muwardi at a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Corruption Court on July 31, 2024.
Prosecutors claimed Wibowo acted in collusion with Amir Syahbana, the former head of the Metal Minerals Mining Division of the provincial Energy and Mineral Resources Office, and Rusbani, also a former head of the same office.
Prosecutors alleged that Wibowo, during his tenure as head of the provincial Mining and Energy Office, approved inaccurate work plan and budget documents for five smelters between 2015 and 2019. The smelters included PT Refined Bangka Tin and its affiliates, CV Venus Inti Perkasa and its affiliates, PT Sariwiguna Binasentosa and its affiliates, PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa and its affiliates, and PT Tinindo Internusa and its affiliates.
“The false documents should have formed the basis for mining operations within each smelter’s concession area, however, they were also used to authorize the extraction and management of tin ore from illegal mining activities within PT Timah’s concession area,” alleged prosecutors.
In addition, Wibowo is accused of failing to provide supervision and oversight over the five smelter companies and their affiliates, which engaged in mining activities in breach of the approved work plan and budget for the 2015-2019 period. The failure led to poor mining governance and environmental damage in Bangka Belitung Islands province. It is alleged the approved work plans and budgets were merely formalities used to accommodate the illegal extraction and management of tin ore from PT Timah’s concession area.
Wibowo is also accused of failing to supervise mining service companies partnering with PT Timah, allowing these companies to conduct illegal mining and trade tin ore with PT Timah.
“As a result, PT Timah Tbk should not have purchased tin ore sourced from its own concession area,” alleged prosecutors. In addition, Wibowo allegedly received hospitality and transportation benefits from PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa.
Wibowo, along with Mochtar Riza Pahlevi, Emil Ermindra, Alwin Albar, Rusbani, Amir Syahbana, and Bambang Gatot Ariyono, is also alleged to have turned a blind eye to illegal mining activities within PT Timah’s concession area, resulting in ecological, economic, and environmental losses.
The actions of Suranto Wibowo, Amir Syahbana, and Rusbani are alleged to have violated Article 2 Paragraph (1) and Article 3 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 On the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of Indonesia’s Criminal Code.
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