Company Painted BNPB Logo To Launch Business

Subdivision of Security and Law Enforcement of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Brigadier General Pol. Darmawan Sutawijaya (Photo: BNPB Public Relations)

JAKARTA - During the midst of the COVID-19 period, there were individual companies who issued COVID-19 handling products by painting the logo of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

This was conveyed by the Subdivision of Security and Law Enforcement of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Brigadier General Pol. Darmawan Sutawijaya. He said, this fact was known based on action in the field.

"There are companies that take advantage of, for example, use the BNPB logo. So, in this case, they really take advantage," Darmawan said in a discussion at Graha BNPB, East Jakarta, Monday, June 15.

Darmawan said that a number of companies had carried out the reprinting of the BNPB logo on the grounds of smoothing the business they produced and increasing consumer confidence.

Darmawan said, BNPB and the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 only issued an exemption from the prohibition of operations in the business sector required during the PSBB period, not the business products.

"Sometimes, because of the BNPB logo, people (think) as if this is good quality and so on," said Darmawan.

He emphasized that for quality problems, it is not his party that determines. "But from the Minister of Health, BPOM and so on," he said.

However, he could not mention the company that carried out this profiteering. Because, his party is still investigating this case. Currently, his team is calling the person concerned for questioning.

"We have conducted a special investigation using (the BNPB logo). Later, if this is proven to fulfill the criminal element, we will submit it to law enforcers," he concluded.

For information, to date there are 75,755 general crimes related to handling COVID-19. Meanwhile, there are 151,003 economic crimes that have been investigated, such as the case of hoarding masks.

Then, there were 161,077 cases of misuse of basic necessities and medical devices. This case was handled by the police, particularly the Nusa II Safe Task Force.

"In this case, specifically we have arrested 17 suspects in this case. Then those who are still in the process are 87 people in this case, namely 66 men and 38 women," Darmawan concluded.