Become A Suspect In The Oplosan Rice Case, The Managing Director Of Food Station Resigns

Bulog rice stock. (doc. Perum Bulog)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya, Employee Gunarso resigned from his position after being named a suspect in a rice circulation case that did not comply with quality standards or mixed rice.

The employee resignation letter has been received by the Governor of DKI Jakarta and followed up according to the applicable mechanism within the regional-owned enterprise (BUMD).

After the resignation of the Employees, Pramono admitted that he fully respects the ongoing legal process and ensured that he did not intervene in the police investigation.

"While waiting for an official determination letter from the Police, I have received a report regarding the resignation letter from the President Director of PT Food Station. This is a form of personal responsibility that we respect. The DKI Provincial Government still supports the legal process to run well and transparently," Pramono said in his statement, Friday, August 1.

From this case, Pramono emphasized that this is a momentum to strengthen supervision and accountability within the DKI Provincial Government's business entities. Pramono warned all levels of BUMD directors to prioritize professional governance and uphold integrity.

"BUMD is an extension of the local government in serving the community. So accountability and integrity must be the main foundation," explained Pramono.

Although Food Station officials have been named as suspects, Pramono ensured that his staff ensured that food distribution services for the community would continue to run normally.

"The most important thing is that public services must not stop. Strategic food distribution must continue smoothly, because this concerns the interests of millions of Jakarta residents," he added.

In the aftermath of the adulterated rice case, the DKI Provincial Government opened a public complaint channel. Residents can report findings of rice that do not match the standard to number 0821-3700-1200.

The National Police's Food Task Force has named three suspects in cases of rice circulation that do not comply with quality standards or mixed rice. One of the suspects is the President Director of PT Food Station, Gunarso Employee.

"Investigators have conducted a case title and found two pieces of evidence to increase the status of three employees of PT FS as suspects," said Head of the National Police Food Task Force who is also the Director of Special Economic Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf to reporters, Jakarta, Friday, August 1.

Two other suspects, namely RL as Director of Operations and RP who served as Head of Quality Control Section.

The determination of the three suspects was made after investigators conducted a series of investigations and examinations on a number of parties, including witnesses, consumer protection experts, laboratory experts for product quality testing from the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as criminal experts.

"Business actors do production and trade premium rice not according to the quality standards of premium rice SNI," said Helfi.

The three of them are considered responsible for the production and distribution of premium rice that does not meet Indonesia's national standards (SNI).

During the investigation process, the police also confiscated evidence in the form of a total of 132.65 tons of rice, consisting of 127.3 tons of premium rice in 5 kilograms of various brands, produced by PT Food Station, 5.53 tons of premium rice in a 2.5 kilogram packaging, also produced by PT Food Station.

The three suspects were charged with Article 62 in conjunction with Article 8 paragraph (1) letters a and f of Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection, as well as Article 3, Article 4, and Article 5 of Law Number 8 of 2010 concerning the Crime of Money Laundering (TPPU).