DKI Prosecutor's Office Confirms Case Of Alleged Corruption In The Export Of Cooking Oil In Tanjung Priok Still In Process

Head of the Legal Information Section of the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, Ashari Syam (center) with investigators for Special Crimes at the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the case of alleged corruption in the export of cooking oil through the Tanjung Priok Port for the 2021-2022 period is still ongoing.

"Although on April 5, 2022, the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office investigator team handed over the handling of the cooking oil export case to Customs investigators at the Tanjung Priok Type A Customs and Excise Main Service Office, the case is still ongoing at the Prosecutor's Office", said the Head of the Legal Information Section of the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, Ashari Syam, in Jakarta, Wednesday 20 April.

Ashari said that what was handed over and coordinated to Customs and Excise was related to tax issues related to export duties that were not paid by PT AMJ to the state while exporting packaged cooking oil to Hong Kong between July 2021 and January 2022 without the correct export documents (PEB). 

"The handling has been delegated to the Tanjung Priok Customs and Excise Investigator for further processing based on the provisions of Law Number 10 of 1995 as amended by Law Number 17 of 2006 concerning Customs", said Ashari.

Meanwhile, apart from these problems, he said, the Jakarta Special Prosecutor's Office investigator team was still working on cases of alleged corruption in the distribution of cooking oil exports.

Even now, he stressed, the status of the case has been raised to the investigation stage as stated in the Investigation Order of the Head of the DKI Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office, Number: Print-1033/M.1/Fd.1/04/2022 dated April 6, 2022.

"Regarding the eradication of the cooking oil mafia, which is qualified for corruption in connection with the export distribution process to Hong Kong, which has an impact on the scarcity of cooking oil in Indonesia", explained Ashari.

This is as stipulated in the provisions of Article 2 paragraph (1) of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption.

In that case, he continued, the special criminal investigation team of the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office had examined six witnesses, one of which was from the company PT AMJ.

Against the law

Furthermore, Ashari said, the DKI Special Prosecutor's Office investigator raised the status from investigation to investigation level because there were unlawful acts allegedly committed by PT AMJ and other companies in the period 2021 and 2022 in the distribution process of packaged cooking oil exported through Tanjung Priok Port.

"So that it has a direct impact or impact on the country's economy with the scarcity of cooking oil in Indonesia", he said.

Previously, the investigative team of the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office obtained the facts of alleged illegal acts against the formal and material law by PT AMJ by changing the HS Code to avoid Export Duties (exports abroad).

"And PT AMJ exports packaged cooking oil that should be sold domestically, not for export, resulting in a shortage of cooking oil in Indonesia", he said.

Furthermore, Ashari said, the DKI Special Prosecutor's Office investigator raised the status from investigation to investigation level because there were unlawful acts allegedly committed by PT AMJ and other companies in the period 2021 and 2022 in the distribution process of packaged cooking oil exported through Tanjung Priok Port.

"So that it has a direct impact or impact on the country's economy with the scarcity of cooking oil in Indonesia", he said.

Previously, the investigative team of the DKI Jakarta Prosecutor's Office obtained the facts of alleged illegal acts against the formal and material law by PT AMJ by changing the HS Code to avoid Export Duties (exports abroad).

"And PT AMJ exports packaged cooking oil that should be sold domestically, not for export, resulting in a shortage of cooking oil in Indonesia", he said.

In fact, the DKI Attorney General's Office has conducted a joint case with the Tanjung Priok Customs and Excise.

Based on the results of the case, it was agreed in connection with the investigation of the cooking oil mafia with the modus operandi of changing the HS Code from vegetable oil to vegetable which was allegedly carried out by PT AMJ together with other companies.

Then the sale of cooking oil which is a product to be sold domestically (not for export abroad) was 13,211 cartons or equivalent to 159,503.4 kilograms.

There are even 2,022 cartons of cooking oil stockpiled in PT AMJ's warehouse.

"And this act was carried out by PT AMJ together with other companies from July 2021 to January 2022 which directly affected the country's economic losses and the scarcity of cooking oil in Indonesia", he said.