JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officially handed over the alleged bribery of goods imports to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) to the court. However, this step has attracted the attention of the Indonesian Audit Watch (IAW) which assessed that its handling has the potential to only touch the surface.
The Founding Secretary of IAW, Iskandar Sitorus, emphasized that the pattern of corruption in the customs sector was not a new phenomenon, but rather a repeated practice that had never been fully resolved.
"This is not just about right or wrong, but why the process always stops in the middle of the road," said Iskandar in Jakarta, Wednesday, April 22.
According to him, the case that is now trapping a number of Customs officials and private parties, including John Field, has similarities with old cases that have never been completed.
IAW even referred back to the case of Ahmad Dedi in 2016-2017 regarding the alleged suspicious account worth Rp31.6 billion. Although it was in the public spotlight, the case is still unclear.
Ahmad Dedi's name was also mentioned as having been dragged into a case of smuggling dozens of trucks of liquor in 2015 with a potential state loss of Rp52 billion, but again without legal certainty.
Iskandar assessed that a similar pattern was also seen in the case that ensnared Rizal, who had previously been investigated before he was finally caught in a hand-in-hand operation (OTT) in 2026.
"The question is simple, who is this person or system being cleaned up?" he said.
IAW assessed that this condition reflects the weakness of the supervision system and the promotion mechanism of officials in the customs environment. The findings of the Financial Audit Agency (BPK) over the years are also said to show the same problem.
Starting from weak internal control, suboptimal supervision, to audit recommendations that are not seriously followed up.
With the transfer of the case to the court, the public is now waiting to see whether the legal process is able to uncover a wider network or stop again at the field actors.
"If it only stops at individuals, then this case will continue to appear with the same pattern in the future," said Iskandar.
Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor (JPU) at the KPK has handed over the file of the boss of Bluray Cargo, John Field, to the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday, April 21. The administrative process of handing over the case has been completed through the e-integrated system and One-Stop Service (PTSP).
In this case, the prosecutor said the value of the alleged bribes handled reached more than Rp. 40 billion, especially related to the customs sector.
As previously reported, the KPK announced six suspects related to alleged bribes and gratuities related to the import of goods at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise after conducting a hand-in-hand operation (OTT) on February 4. One of them is the Director of Enforcement and Investigation of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (P2 DJBC) for the period 2024-2026, Rizal.
In addition to Rizal, the KPK also named five other suspects. They are Sisprian Subiaksono (SIS) as Head of the Subdirectorate of Intelligence, Enforcement and Investigation of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Kasubdit Intel P2 DJBC); Orlando Hamonangan (ORL) as Head of the Intelligence Section of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Kasi Intel DJBC); John Field (JF) as owner of PT Blueray (BR); Andri as Head of the Import Documents Team of PT BR; and Dedy Kurniawan as Operational Manager of PT BR.
The KPK suspects that this case began in October 2025 when Orlando Hamonangan and Sisprian Subiaksono together with John Field, Andri, and Dedy Kurniawan committed a conspiracy. They arranged the planning of the import route of goods that would enter Indonesia.
Furthermore, the KPK announced the Head of the Tax Intelligence Section for Enforcement and Investigation (P2) of the Directorate General of Customs (DJBC) Budiman Bayu Prasojo (BBP) as a new suspect in the case of alleged gratification related to the import of goods.
The announcement was made after the arrest was made at the DJBC headquarters in East Jakarta on Thursday, February 26.
Budiman was arrested for allegedly receiving and managing money from entrepreneurs whose products were subject to taxes and importers since November 2024.
As a result of his actions, Budiman Bayu was then suspected of violating Article 12 B of Law No. 31 of 1999 jo. UU No. 20 of 2001 jo. Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP).
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