Indonesian prosecutors have identified five prominent tin mining companies as corporate suspects in an illegal mining case tied to the state-owned mining firm PT Timah. The companies are accused of colluding with former executives of PT Timah between 2018 and 2019 to facilitate illegal mining activities and falsify transactions within the tin industry.

In a statement issued by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on December 31, the firms named as suspects are PT Refined Bangka Tin (RBT), PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa, PT Tinindo Inter Nusa, PT Sariwiguna Binasentosa, and CV Venus Inti Perkasa. These companies allegedly worked with former PT Timah executives to enable illegal mining at PT Timah’s concessions, in addition to creating fraudulent smelting transactions that falsely inflated production and sales figures.

The AGO indicated that formal charges against the companies will be filed in the future as part of Indonesia's legal process, though the exact timeline remains unclear. As of now, calls to RBT's office went unanswered, and Tinindo had not responded to a request for comment. The three other companies and their legal representatives could not be reached for immediate responses.

The AGO claims that the illegal mining activities, which involved fabricated ore sales and smelting services, caused severe financial and environmental damage. According to the statement, the state suffered losses amounting to approximately 29 trillion rupiah ($1.79 billion) due to the fictitious transactions. Additionally, the environmental damage caused by the illegal mining activities is estimated to be around 271 trillion rupiah ($16.7 billion).

The case has already led to significant legal actions. In December, an Indonesian court sentenced a former chief executive of RBT and a former chief executive of PT Timah to eight years in prison each. However, local media did not provide further details on the exact charges or evidence presented during the trial.

The Indonesian government has been cracking down on illegal mining operations, which have long been a challenge for the country’s tin industry. Illegal mining not only harms the environment but also undermines the legal market, leading to a loss of state revenue and causing social unrest in mining regions. The latest developments in this case highlight the growing efforts by authorities to hold both companies and individuals accountable for environmental damage and illegal activities within the mining sector.

This case is part of broader efforts by the Indonesian government to regulate and improve transparency within the country’s valuable tin industry, which plays a significant role in the global market for electronics and other high-tech products.