The Mining Nickel Network of a Former Volunteer

After being questioned twice, Windu Aji Sutanto has been detained at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) detention center since Tuesday, July 18. The company that he owns, Lawu Agung Mining, is accused of illegally mining nickel ore in the Mandiodo Block, North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi. The profits from the sale of the nickel went into the pocket of the 47-year-old businessman.

Before detaining Windu, the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial AGO arrested Ofan Sofwan and Glen Sudarto, Lawu Agung Mining’s managing director and operational manager respectively. Investigators also named Hendra Wijayanto, Antam North Konawe nickel mining business unit general manager, a suspect. Lawu Agung is a partner of Aneka Tambang (Antam), the owner of the mining concession to extract nickel ore in the Mandiodo Block. Losses to the state from the illegal mining in the Mandiodo Block are estimated about Rp5.7 trillion.

The AGO’s findings are not very different from the results of an investigation by Tempo magazine entitled Dirty Nickel in the January 23-29, 2023 edition. This report revealed that Lawu Agung Mining had been carrying out operations in a forest area without a permit. Because it originated from an illegal location, Lawu should have found it difficult to sell the nickel ore to legal smelters. They used illegally obtained documents, sometimes known as ‘flying documents’, to deceptively obtain permits.

These arrests damaged the image of the ‘big people’ who have always been associated with Windu. Within the business community, Windu is known as a mining tycoon with connections to senior government and political party officials. He rose to fame after becoming a Jokowi campaign volunteer in Brebes, Central Java, for the 2014 presidential election. Also from that time, he has been associated with a number of generals within the Indonesian National Police.

However, he has also been prominent among people facing legal problems. Because of his closeness to senior officials in various law enforcement agencies, people with legal issues have often asked for Windu’s help to halt investigations. One example is the alleged corruption involving 4G base transceiver stations at the communication and informatics ministry. One of the suspects, Irwan Hermawan, while being questioned by the AGO, admitted to have paid Windu and his associates Rp75 billion in 2022 in the hope that Windu would be able to stop the investigation underway by the AGO.