The Titan and the ‘Zombie’ Mine: Samin Tan Detained as Indonesia Reclaims Illicit Coal Lands

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — On a humid Saturday morning in Jakarta, the long arm of Indonesian law finally reached one of the coal industry’s most resilient figures. Samin Tan, the beneficial owner of PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT), was led into a detention vehicle at the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) after being named a suspect in a sprawling corruption case that reads like a manual on how to ignore the state.

The allegations are as bold as they are lucrative. According to Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, the Director of Investigation for the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, PT AKT operated in a legal vacuum for nearly a decade. While the company’s Coal Mining Business Work Agreement (PKP2B)—a fundamental license required for such operations—was revoked by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in October 2017, the machines never stopped humming.

The case against Samin Tan is more than a simple regulatory spat; it highlights the deep-seated complications within Indonesia’s "Wild West" mining frontier, where enforcement often lags years behind policy. As the world's largest exporter of thermal coal, Indonesia is currently under pressure to professionalize its extractive industries. This crackdown signals a shift in Jakarta’s tolerance for "zombie" operations—companies that continue to strip the nation’s natural wealth long after their legal right to do so has vanished.

A Persistent Operation

"PT AKT continued to conduct mining and the sale of mining products illegally and against the law until 2025," Syarief told reporters in the early hours of Saturday, as reported by Antara.

Investigators allege that Samin Tan, through his company and various affiliates, utilized invalid documentation and collaborated with state officials to maintain a facade of legitimacy. While the identities of the specific regulators involved have not yet been disclosed, the scope of the operation suggests a sophisticated network of complicity.

The physical footprint of the alleged crime is massive. PT AKT’s operations covered approximately 4,200 acres (1,699 hectares) in Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan. To put the scale in perspective, that is an area roughly five times the size of New York’s Central Park being mined without a valid permit for eight years.

The Task Force’s Warning Shot

The arrest follows a January 2026 seizure of the site by the Forest Area Order Task Force (Satgas PKH), a specialized unit designed to reclaim state-owned land. Barita Simanjuntak, the task force’s spokesperson, characterized the move as a stern warning to other operators.

"If there is bad faith, the instruments of the state will work to ensure compliance," Barita said during a press conference on Saturday, as reported by Antara. He emphasized that the task force had previously issued warnings and reprimands before escalating the matter to criminal investigators.

Legal Headwinds and Financial Fallout

The financial damage is still being tallied. Auditors from the Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) are currently reviewing years of ledgers to determine the total loss to the state's treasury. Given that the operation allegedly persisted for eight years, the figure is expected to reach millions of dollars.

Samin Tan is currently being held at the Salemba Detention Center’s Attorney General’s branch for an initial 20-day period. He faces charges under Indonesia’s 2023 Criminal Code and the 1999 Anti-Corruption Law. If convicted, the penalties involve significant prison time and the potential seizure of personal assets to cover state losses.

As the sun rose over Jakarta on Saturday, the message from the Attorney General’s Office was clear: in the new era of Indonesian mining, even the most established titans are no longer untouchable.

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