Indonesia charges 24 foreigners as suspects in illegal gold mining case, ministry says

JAKARTA, June 26 (Reuters) – Indonesia has charged 24 foreign nationals as criminal suspects in an illegal gold mining operation in the country’s Maluku region, its energy ministry said.

Here are the details:

• The suspects were allegedly building infrastructure for the illegal mines, including roads and processing facilities around the Gunung Botak area of Maluku, said energy ministry official Jeffri Huwae in a statement released late on Thursday.

• Violations of the law could carry maximum prison sentences of five years, the ministry added.

• The ministry did not give the nationalities of the suspects or the amount of gold produced. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• State news agency Antara reported last month that 24 Chinese nationals in Gunung Botak working under the sponsorship of local company PT Harmoni Alam Manise had been detained for questioning.

• The ministry said 12 of the foreign nationals are still at large and outside of Indonesia’s jurisdiction, with the other 12 already detained.

• Two other Indonesians were named as criminal suspects along with the foreign nationals, the ministry added.

• There have been illegal mining operations involving foreign nationals previously.

• Police in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua arrested four Chinese nationals in the Senggi district last year, Antara reported.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Bernadette Christina; Editing by David Stanway)