2-4-2024 (JAKARTA) Indonesian authorities have intensified their investigation into alleged corruption in the nation’s lucrative tin mining industry, conducting a high-profile raid on the residence of Harvey Moeis, the husband of renowned actress Sandra Dewi.
The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) of the Republic of Indonesia confirmed that investigators had seized two luxury vehicles – a Rolls-Royce and a Mini Cooper – as well as a collection of high-end watches from Moeis’ home in the upscale Pakubuwono neighbourhood of South Jakarta.
“The confiscated assets are Rolls-Royce and Mini Cooper cars for the time being,” stated Kuntadi, the Director of Investigation at the Deputy Attorney General’s Office for Special Crimes, in an interview with Kompas.com on Monday evening. “Some watches and others cannot be mentioned yet.”
The search, which was still ongoing at the time of reporting, is part of a broader probe into suspected corruption surrounding the trading of tin commodities within the Mining Business License (IUP) area of PT Timah Tbk, one of Indonesia’s largest state-owned tin mining companies, between 2015 and 2022.
Moeis, whose wife Sandra Dewi is a celebrated actress and social media influencer, was officially named a suspect in the case on March 27th and subsequently taken into custody by authorities.
According to Kuntadi, Moeis is accused of colluding with Mochtar Riza Pahlevi Tabrani, the former Main Director of PT Timah, to facilitate illegal mining activities within the company’s IUP area and reap substantial profits.
“Around 2018 to 2019, Brother HM (Harvey Moeis) contacted the Main Director of PT Timah, namely Brother MRPT or Brother RS aka Brother RS, in order to accommodate illegal mining activities in the PT Timah IUP area,” Kuntadi revealed during a press conference at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta last Wednesday.
The two men allegedly held multiple meetings to orchestrate the illicit scheme, agreeing to cloak the illegal mining operations under the guise of renting tin smelting processing equipment. Moeis then purportedly reached out to several smelter companies, including PT SIP, CV VIP, PT SPS, and PT TIN, to participate in the activities.
Investigators assert that once the illegal mining was underway, Moeis instructed the smelters to set aside a portion of the profits generated, which would be handed over to him under the pretence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.
