Search The Customs Office Of Soekarno Hatta Airport, Banten Prosecutor's Office Confiscates IDR 1.1 Billion

Head of the Legal Information Section (Kasipenkum) of the Banten High Prosecutor's Office, Ivan Siahaan/ Photo: Jehan/ VOI

TANGERANG - The Banten High Prosecutor's Office and the Tangerang City District Attorney's Office searched the Soekarno Hatta Type C Customs Office, Tangerang City. This started from a report of alleged corruption in the office.

Head of the Legal Information Section of the Banten High Prosecutor's Office, Ivan Siahaan, said the search began with an increase in the status of the handling of cases of alleged corruption in the form of extortion of a courier service company at Soekarno Hatta Airport by customs and excise officers.

"Then January 26 was upgraded to an investigation, after being upgraded to the investigation process, today is January 27", Ivan said when contacted, Thursday, January 27.

"After the investigation process was released, we confiscated evidence at the Soekarno Hatta type C public service office", he continued.

“From the confiscation process, we managed to confiscate a sum of IDR 1,169,900,000. and approximately one suitcase of documents", he said.

In addition, his party also examined 4 people from the private sector. This is done to find out the truth of the handling of the case.

"We are also examining witnesses. Move fast. So it is divided between Soekarno Hatta and some are being investigated at the high prosecutor's office", said Ivan.

Previously, the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) reported Customs officers suspected of making illegal levies on courier service companies to the Banten High Court.

Allegations of extortion have occurred for a year or in the period April 2020 - April 2021 by unscrupulous officers of the Customs and Excise Office of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"The alleged suppression for extortion is in the form of written or verbal threats, written in the form of a warning letter without a clear reason and verbal in the form of threats to close the company's business", said MAKI Coordinator, Boyamin Saiman, via a short message.

He explained that the person was suspected of asking for an extortion of IDR 5000/Kg for goods shipped from abroad. However, the courier service company is only able to provide IDR 1000 per kilogram.

"Therefore, his business continued to experience disturbances for one year, both verbally and in writing", he explained.

Based on the information, the company has made payments to the person. However, the money paid is still below what was expected.

So, said Boyamin, the company was threatened with closing its business. Even though the company has repeatedly explained that its financial condition is currently difficult because it is affected by the COVID-19 condition.

He added that the Customs officer suspected of committing extortion was an echelon three official with a similar position as the head of the field.

In addition, there is also VI, an echelon IV official with a similar position as section head at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs Office.

Boyamin said the person allegedly contacted the victim and asked for a meeting at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII).

To eliminate the traces, the person allegedly requested that his cell phone number and that of his staff involved in handing over the money for a year be changed for fear of being tapped.