Immigration Tracing Italian Foreigners Has Been Involved In Indonesia's Domicile For 32 Years In The International TPPM Network

The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkumham) is investigating indications of involvement of GA, a foreign national (WNA) from Italy in the international network's human smuggling crime (TPPM).

"This is what we are still carrying out the investigation process of what he is doing, both done by himself and the international network," said Director General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Silmy Karim in Tangerang, Wednesday, July 5, quoted by Antara.

He said the indications emerged after his party had been hunting for GA since November 2022 and was arrested in June 2023 with the TPPM case being carried out on a Sri Lankan foreigner with the initials PJ through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten.

"So the person concerned has been a DPO since November 2022 and we have previously secured Indian citizens," he said.

He suspects that the involvement of Italians in this TPPM case is a provider or entry to international network syndicates. The action was carried out not only once.

"So now it is still in the process of investigating the prosecution process. This perpetrator has lived in Indonesia for a long time because it has been years to 32 years. We suspect this is not the first time the perpetrator has done this," he said.

He said, from the results of the interim examination of GA, it was known that the person concerned had asked the victim for 10,000 US dollars with a guarantee that the departure process was successfully carried out until he arrived at the destination country.

"Currently, the Sri Lankan foreigner is in the Tangerang Class I Youth Prison after being sentenced to 1 judge for 6 months and a fine of Rp. 150 million," he explained.

Meanwhile, Head of the Special Class I Immigration Office of TPI Soekarno Hatta Muhammad Tito Andrianto said, GA was arrested through the officer's disguise. Moreover, GA claimed to be able to double the dollar.

"We disguise ourselves as the owner of the dollar that wants to be doubled. GA is known to have been in Indonesia for 32 years. We suspect (the victim, ed.) is not the first," he said.

For his actions, the perpetrator is suspected of Article 120 paragraph (2) of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration in conjunction with Article 53 of the Criminal Code with a maximum imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum fine of IDR 1.5 billion.