Jakarta. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday detained Dayang Donna Walfiaries Tania, daughter of the late East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak, over her alleged role in a major mining license bribery scandal.

Dayang, who also serves as chair of the East Kalimantan branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), is accused of soliciting illicit payments from mining firms seeking operating permits signed by her father between 2013 and 2018.

She was presented at a press briefing in Jakarta wearing the commission’s trademark orange vest and handcuffs. KPK deputy for law enforcement Asep Guntur Rahayu said investigators suspect she collected at least Rp 3.5 billion (about $215,000) in bribes. In some instances, documents were reportedly delivered to mining companies through her babysitter.

The case is part of a wider investigation implicating coal magnate Rudy Ong Chandra, who was arrested on August 21, 2025. He and Dayang were named suspects in September 2024 alongside Governor Awang, who passed away in December 2024, halting proceedings against him.

Rudy, a long-time powerbroker in East Kalimantan’s coal industry, has served as commissioner in several companies -- including Sepiak Jaya Kaltim, Cahaya Bara Kaltim, Bunga Jadi Lestari, and Anugerah Pancaran Bulan -- and holds a 5 percent stake in Tara Indonusa Coal. Investigators allege he bribed officials to obtain mining concessions, including in areas designated as protected forests.

Although the KPK has not released an estimate of the state’s financial losses, watchdogs warn that corruption in mining permits has become systemic, costing Indonesia hundreds of trillions of rupiah through environmental destruction and lost revenue.

East Kalimantan, home to some of Indonesia’s largest coal reserves, has long been at the center of graft scandals involving extractive industries. Activists argue that corrupt licensing practices have fueled illegal deforestation, devastated ecosystems, and undermined efforts at sustainable development.

The Attorney General’s Office is conducting parallel investigations into mining license corruption across Indonesia, underscoring the government’s effort to clamp down on entrenched graft in the resource sector.

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