Antara, Bengkulu – Indonesian prosecutors have arrested five suspects and seized luxury assets in connection with illegal coal mining operations inside protected forest areas in Bengkulu, allegedly causing state losses of Rp 500 billion ($30.7 million).
The suspects are linked to coal company Ratu Samban Mining and its two subsidiaries, Inti Bara Perdana and Tunas Bara Jaya, said Danang Prasetyo, head of the Bengkulu Prosecutors' Office's special crimes unit, on Sunday.
Seized assets include three houses, six luxury vehicles, jewelry, precious metals, and cash. Prosecutors also confiscated industrial equipment such as power generators, lighting rigs, water filtration systems, and a fuel truck.
"These assets were seized directly from the mining sites after a reassessment of the estimated losses to the state," Danang said. "We invited independent experts to the scene to perform a financial analysis, which will be used as evidence at trial."
The mining activities took place at two separate locations in Central Bengkulu Regency. Prosecutors said the Rp 500 billion loss stems from environmental destruction and falsified documentation on the origin of the coal.
The five individuals arrested in the case are:
- Bebby Hussy, commissioner of Tunas Bara Jaya and shareholder of Inti Bara Perdana
- Sakya Hussy, general manager of Inti Bara Jaya
- Julius Soh, CEO of Tunas Bara Jaya
- Agusman, marketing officer of Inti Bara Perdana
- Sutarman, director of Tunas Bara Jaya
The investigation began last month with a raid on the Ratu Samban Mining headquarters in Bengkulu City.
This case marks another instance where prosecutors factored in environmental damages when calculating state losses from illegal mining. Last year, the Attorney General's Office estimated Rp 300 trillion ($18 billion) in losses from an illegal tin mining scandal, resulting in the arrest of more than 20 suspects, including top business executives, senior government officials, and leaders of state-owned miner Timah.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/luxury-cars-homes-seized-in-30-million-bengkulu-mining-cas