Salt Import Corruption Case, AGO Checks Ministry Of Trade Officials

JAKARTA - Investigators from the Directorate of Investigation of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) The Attorney General's Office (Kejagung) examined the Director of Export of Agricultural and Forestry Products of the Ministry of Trade with the initials M as a witness to the case of salt import regulations.

"The witness being examined, namely M, as the Director of Export of Agricultural and Forestry Products at the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, was questioned regarding the regulation on the import of salt," said Head of the Attorney General's Office for Legal Information Center (Kapuspenkum) Ketut Sumedana in a statement quoted by Antara, Tuesday, July 5.

In addition to examining the Director of Export of Agricultural and Forestry Products at the Ministry of Trade, the Attorney General's Office also examined four other witnesses, namely the former Coordinator and Substitute for Trade Integrated Services Unit I of 2017 with the initials MM and the Head of the Information System Data Center of the Indonesian Ministry of Trade with the initials AS.

Two other witnesses examined were the former Implementing Coordinator of Substitute Trade Integrated Services Unit I Year 2018 with the initials OA and the former Implementing Coordinator for Substitution of Trade Integrated Services Unit I Year 2016 initialed NE.

All witnesses were examined regarding the regulation on the import of salt regarding cases of alleged criminal acts of corruption in the provision of industrial salt import facilities in 2016-2022.

"Witness examination is carried out to strengthen evidence and complete filing in cases of alleged corruption in the provision of industrial salt import facilities from 2016 to 2022," he explained.

Previously, Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin stated that the AGO had upgraded the status of the handling of cases of alleged corruption in the import of salt in 2016-2022 from an investigation to an investigation on Monday (27/6).

The alleged corruption case of abuse of authority in determining quotas, granting approval, implementation and supervision of salt imports has caused state economic losses.

In 2018, the Ministry of Trade issued approvals for the import of industrial salt to PT MTS, PT SM, and PT UI without verifying, causing an excess of industrial salt imports.

This case affected the business of PT Garam (Persero) owned by BUMN which was unable to compete with the low prices caused by this case of excess imports.

Based on the information received, in 2018 there were 21 salt importing companies that received a quota of industrial salt import approvals with a value of Rp. 2.05 trillion without taking into account local salt stocks and available industrial salt stocks.

The importers then illegally transferred the allotment of industrial salt to consumption salt with a fairly high price ratio, resulting in losses for local salt farmers and losses for the country's economy.

{The alleged origin in this case is Article 2 paragraph (1), subsidiary to Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption.