Poltak: Don’t Use President’s Name to Hold Declared-Safe Goods
PT PMM questions the task force after 15 ilmenite containers were detained despite two lab tests showing the cargo was safe.
JAKARTA — Poltak Silitonga, the lawyer for PT Putra Prima Mineral Mandiri, said the case over 15 containers of ilmenite should not be used to invoke President Prabowo Subianto’s name, after the cargo was still held at sea even though two laboratory tests returned the same result.
The dispute, raised in Jakarta on Monday, June 22, 2026, has now spread beyond one company’s shipment. It has become a test of how Indonesian authorities handle export enforcement, customs procedures, and legal certainty for businesses.
"Do not let President Prabowo’s name be invoked to justify actions that are not transparent and do not provide legal certainty to the public or business actors," Poltak told reporters on Sunday, June 21, 2026. "The task force was formed to uphold the law, not to intimidate people," he said.
Two tests, same result
Poltak said PT PMM had first tested the ilmenite cargo at PT Sucofindo, a state-linked testing company with internationally recognized standards. When questions remained, the company agreed to a second test through Customs’ laboratory.
That second test was carried out in front of several parties: the task force, the Bangka Belitung Prosecutor’s Office, Pangkalpinang Customs, Sucofindo, and PT PMM itself. The result matched the first one.
“If the test result witnessed by the task force itself is considered invalid, then which result is valid?” Poltak asked. He said no official answer had been given to that question.
The lawyer argued that the identical findings should have settled doubts about whether the shipment qualified as smuggled goods. Instead, the containers remained detained, and the legal status of the cargo stayed unclear.
Customs chief picked up by AGO team
The tension around the case increased after the head of Pangkalpinang Customs was picked up by a team from Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office. The move added fresh pressure on the agencies involved and sharpened public attention on how the ilmenite case is being handled.
Poltak also said the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, known by the acronym Jampidsus, twice failed to respond to PT PMM’s formal request for clarification. He said the company then brought the matter to the Head of the Presidential Staff Office, retired Army General Prof. Dr. Dudung Abdurachman.
According to Poltak, Dudung tried to arrange a meeting between the parties involved. But no representative from Jampidsus attended, he said.
“All we are looking for is legal certainty,” Poltak said. “If there was an error, show it. If there was a violation, state it. But do not detain the goods, damage the company, destroy its reputation, while the case status and legal basis are never explained openly.”
Why the case matters for exporters
The company says the detention has already caused losses approaching Rp3 billion, or about $184,000, based on current exchange rates. Those costs include storage, operations, and delayed shipments. But the damage does not stop there.
PT PMM also says buyers in China have demanded answers after shipments were delayed without a clear timeline. For exporters, that kind of uncertainty can be costly. One delayed container can strain contracts. Fifteen can shake confidence.
This is why the case has drawn attention beyond Bangka Belitung. If a shipment that has passed two matching tests can still be treated as suspicious without a clear explanation, businesses may begin to question how predictable the rules really are. That matters for mineral exporters, customs brokers, logistics firms, and investors watching Indonesia’s trade enforcement.
Poltak framed the issue as one of more than just one cargo. He said the state must not create a climate where companies fear abrupt action without a transparent legal basis. That argument lands hard in a country trying to attract more investment while also tightening oversight of mineral exports.
Calls for oversight from the palace to parliament
Poltak has asked President Prabowo to review the task force’s performance. He also called on House of Representatives Commission III, the Attorney General’s Office supervisory unit known as Jamwas, and the Judicial Commission to oversee the case so it does not appear selective or arbitrary.
"The task force was formed by President Prabowo to protect the state, not to make people afraid," Poltak said. "A state based on law cannot run on endless suspicion. The law must run on facts, evidence, and procedure."
As of press time, the task force and Jampidsus had not issued an official response to the allegations. The 15 ilmenite containers remain detained, and PT PMM says its losses are still growing.
