Prabowo details 6-ton annual gold output from illegal mine
He says one unlicensed mine may strip Rp15 trillion a year, equal to renovating 15.000 schools.
President Prabowo Subianto disclosed the existence of one illegal gold mine that has operated for eight years and produces about 500 kilograms of gold a month, or 6 tons a year. In a speech marking the 15th anniversary of Partai NasDem at NasDem Tower in Jakarta on Wednesday night, he estimated the state could lose Rp15 trillion a year from that one mine because there are no taxes, royalties or activity reports. Prabowo compared that amount with school renovation costs of about Rp1 billion per unit, saying it was equivalent to repairing 15.000 schools. He also said the government is currently budgeting repairs for about 70.000 schools through December 2026 out of a total 368.000 schools in Indonesia. Earlier, he said he had received reports of 1.063 illegal mining sites in various regions, with potential state losses of Rp300 trillion.