Task force probes 28 firms after license revocations
Tuesday, January 27 2026 - 07:13 AM WIB
The Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) has launched a criminal investigation into alleged violations committed by 28 companies whose permits were recently revoked by President Prabowo Subianto over forest area misuse linked to ecological disasters in Sumatra.
“Yes, (the criminal investigation is) already underway. It is currently being handled by the North Sumatra High Prosecutor’s Office,” Satgas PKH spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak told reporters on Monday (Jan. 26, 2026).
Barita did not disclose further details on the scope or progress of the probe, saying the findings would be announced once the investigation is complete. He stressed that the permit revocations were not taken abruptly and followed a structured process.
“Once the revocation is announced, the companies concerned must begin preparing the next steps,” he said.
According to Barita, the administrative process is still ongoing, with relevant ministries formally delivering the revocation decisions to the affected companies.
“After the President makes the announcement, the follow-up is carried out by the sectoral ministries that issued the permits in the first place, such as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Forestry. That administrative process is now underway,” he said.
Barita added that notifying all affected parties takes time, but emphasized that the revocation decision itself is final. “It is only a matter of time, because the President has already made the announcement,” he said.
Read also : Govt allows companies with revoked licenses to continue operating temporarily
As previously reported, President Prabowo revoked the permits of 28 companies found to have committed operational violations and contributed to environmental damage in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
“The President has decided to revoke the permits of 28 companies that have been proven to have committed violations,” Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Jan. 20.
The affected entities comprise 22 Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH) holders and six companies operating in the mining, plantation, and timber forest product utilization sectors. Among them is North Sumatra–based gold miner PT Agincourt Resources.
Despite the revocations, the government has allowed some of the companies to continue operating temporarily, provided their activities do not disrupt economic stability or local employment. Prasetyo said the policy reflects President Prabowo’s instruction that law enforcement actions should not immediately harm communities that depend on the companies for their livelihoods.
The license revocations followed a series of floods and landslides in several parts of Sumatra, which the government has linked to environmental degradation and improper forest management.
The move forms part of the President’s broader push to tighten governance of natural resource–based activities in forest areas, under Presidential Regulation No. 5/2025 on the establishment of the Forest Area Control Task Force.
Over the past year, Satgas PKH has reclaimed more than 4 million hectares of oil palm plantations located within forest zones, with nearly 900,000 hectares earmarked for restoration as conservation forests. Recent hydrometeorological disasters in Sumatra prompted the task force to accelerate audits in the affected regions, culminating in the revocation of the 28 companies’ permits.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak