KPK Can Supervise Harley Davidson Smuggling Cases Through Garuda Indonesia

JAKARTA - The President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia, I Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra alias Ari Askhara was caught smuggling a unit of Harley Davidson, a ShovelHead type and a Brompton bicycle. In the aftermath, Ari Askhara was removed by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir.

This case is currently being investigated by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Ministry of Finance. When the Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance experiences difficulties, the KPK can conduct supervision.

"We can supervise it if there are problems in the prosecution," KPK deputy chairman Saut Situmorang told VOI via text message, Friday, December 6.

However, the KPK cannot directly enter into the investigation of the case. This is because currently there are other law enforcement officers who are on the move. "(Cases) that have been handled by other law enforcement officers, we cannot enter," he said.

In the meantime, Saut assessed that there was no element of gratification in the smuggling case. Because, before being received by Ari Askhara, the motorbike had already been secured by the customs and excise authorities.

Meanwhile, the special staff of the Minister of BUMN Arya Sinulingga said they had submitted the investigation of the case to Customs and Excise and did not need to be submitted to the KPK.

"Friends who handle crime handle it. Later you can see, right now Customs and Excise will handle it. Let's just wait for the crime, we'll wait for the process at Customs and Excise," Arya told reporters in Jakarta, Friday, December 6.

Previously reported, the scandal about the smuggling of a Harley Davidson motorbike and two Brompton bikes has become a public spotlight. Apart from being carried out by the President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia Ari Askhara, the smuggling was carried out using the new aircraft unit belonging to the red plate airline.

The Airbus A300-900 Neo aircraft flown from its factory in France to Indonesia did not only carry passengers, but also carried a white and red Harley Davidson.

This motorbike is also not a new motorbike but a used motorbike, which has been regulated by the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 76 of 2019 concerning Provisions for Import of Capital Goods in a Not New Condition (BMTB). Director General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi conveyed the assurance that this motor unit was a used motorbike.

"This motorbike is a used motorbike which from the regulations clearly cannot be imported. And I think the passengers on the plane of course we consider people who understand the problem of how to bring goods from outside into Indonesian territory," Heru said in Jakarta, Thursday , December 5.

This used motorbike, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, costs up to Rp. 800 million. As for the folding Brompton bike, the price is around IDR 50 million per unit.

As a result of Ari's actions to smuggle motorbikes and two units of bicycles, the state was also said to have lost up to IDR 1.5 billion. "The total state loss, potential or if there is no declaration, is between Rp. 532 million to Rp. 1.5 billion," said Sri Mulyani.