IMEI And Customs Rules Violated By PS Store Owners

Putra Siregar, owner of the PS Store mobile phone shop (Instagram @PSStore_Jakarta)

JAKARTA - Recently, the Jakarta Customs and Excise Office seized 190 illegal cellphones of various brands from a businessman from Batam, Putra Siregar. The owner of the PS Store cellphone shop was also declared a city detainee by the East Jakarta District Attorney (Kejari).

Reflecting on this case, the Director General of Resources and Equipment of Post and Information Technology (Dirjen SDPPI) of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo), Ismail MT, said that his party has implemented the rules of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) on smartphones. This rule serves to prevent cell phones that are not officially registered to be used.

"If Kominfo only provides support, with friends of cellular operators. Yes, in essence we prevent cellphones that are not registered with the IMEI at the Ministry of Industry from getting a signal. That's all our function (Kominfo)," said Ismail when contacted by VOI, Wednesday, July 29th.

Ismail was reluctant to comment further regarding the confiscation of hundreds of illegal smartphones smuggled by the suspect PS. Because according to him, Kominfo only carries out a preventive function so that illegal cell phones cannot be used in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, said Ismail, it is the responsibility to carry out the execution of Black Market (BM) cellphones that are not registered with the Ministry of Industry or enter illegally to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

"If the problem is Customs who know. How can everyone enter (smuggle). We prevent cell phones from being used in Indonesia," he explained.

It is known, the problem of BM or illegal cellphones has not been resolved to date. One of them is constrained by the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system owned by the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin). Last June, the CEIR machine was still in Telkomsel as a member of the Indonesian Telecommunications Association.

Rules that PS Store Violated

PS Store owners have violated serious rules regarding their gadget import business. Where the PS Store owner is subject to Article 103 letter d of Law No. 17 of 2006 concerning Customs.

When elaborated, Article 103 letter d reads: "Any person who: hoarding, storing, possessing, buying, selling, exchanging, obtaining, or giving imported goods known or reasonably suspected to have originated from a criminal act as referred to in Article 102."

With the threat of imprisonment for a minimum of 2 (two) years and a maximum imprisonment of 8 (eight) years. As well as a fine of at least Rp. 100 million and a maximum of Rp. 5 billion.

The arrest of the PS Store owner was uploaded through the official account of the Jakarta Customs and Excise Office, namely @bckanwiljakarta. The investigation process at the Jakarta Customs and Excise Regional Office has been completed and the case has been transferred to the East Jakarta District Prosecutor's Office for further processing.