House Of Representatives' Commission III Asks AGO To Fully Investigate Alleged Gold Import Scandal

Attorney General's Office

JAKARTA - Member of Commission III of the DPR, Arteria Dahlan, asked the Attorney General's Office to thoroughly investigate the gold import scandal worth Rp47.1 trillion through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Banten.

"The potential loss to the state is Rp2.9 trillion. This is not small money when we are in trouble," he said, during a working meeting with the Attorney General, ST Burhanuddin, as quoted by Antara, Monday, June 14.

Dahlan explained that the report from the Director of Enforcement and Investigation of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance stated that gold imports were subject to a 0 percent import duty. According to him, five percent import duty should have been imposed, he said.

"This is related to gold imports worth Rp47.1 trillion. There are indications that this is an act of manipulation of counterfeiting, informing things that are not true, so that products are not subject to import duties. Products are not subject to import income tax," he said.

Another member of Commission III of the DPR, Sarifuddin Suding, said that the alleged fraud at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was a new mode. If it is usually money laundering this time it is gold laundering.

"I ask for this to be followed up. The eight companies that carried out gold laundering were recorded to have absolutely no gold imports from Singapore, but it was as if it was legalized as if there would be imports. I think this is another new mode in relation to the issue of illegal gold laundering, as if will this be legalized," said Suding.