5 Customs Auditors Examined By AGO For Bonded Zone Corruption

Head of the Center for Legal Information (Kapus Penkum) Attorney General's Office Ketut Sumedana. ANTARA/HO-Puspenkum AGO/am.

JAKARTA - Investigators of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the Indonesian Attorney General's Office examined five auditors from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise as witnesses in a case of alleged corruption in the misuse of bonded area facilities at the Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Emas Ports.

The five witnesses examined on Tuesday were TS, FI, TJY, S, and FKT. The five of them were examined because they were related to PT Hyupseung Garment Indonesia (PT HGI) in 2017.

"TS as the auditor of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise was examined because the witness was an auditor of PT Hyupseung Garment Indonesia (PT HGI) in 2017," said the Head of the Legal Information Center (Kapus Penkum) of the Attorney General's Office, Ketut Sumedana, in a written statement received in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, May 19.

FI as the auditor from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise was examined because the witness had been the audit quality supervisor for PT HGI in 2017.

The next witness, TJY as the auditor from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, was examined because the witness had been the technical controller of the PT HGI audit in 2017.

"Witness S as the auditor from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise was examined because the witness had been the Chief Auditor of PT HGI in 2017," said Ketut.

Another witness, FKT as auditor from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, was examined because the witness became the auditor of PT HGI in 2017.

In addition to the five auditors, investigators examined another witness with the initials WEP as Staff of KPPBC TMP A Semarang in 2017.

"WEP was examined in relation to the disbursement of PT HGI's custom bond guarantees from 2015 to 2017 to prove the amount of state financial losses," said Ketut.

Witness examination is to strengthen evidence and complete filing in cases of alleged corruption in the misuse of Bonded Zone and Export Destination Facilities (KITE) facilities at Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Emas Ports from 2015 to 2021. In this case, investigators named four suspects, three people from the Customs and Excise agency and one from the private sector.

The four suspects are MRP as the Head of the Investigation and Enforcement Section of the Semarang Customs and Excise Service and Supervision Office (KPPBC) as well as the Customs and Excise PPNS investigator, IP as the Head of the Semarang Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office (KPPBC), H as the Head of the Intelligence Section. Central Java Regional Customs and Excise Office, and one suspect from the private sector with the initials LGH.

The role of the suspect LGH in this case is to have access to textile companies and factories in China and to receive orders for textile raw materials from several domestic buyers.

To import textile raw materials, the suspect LGH uses the PT HGI Bonded Zone facility with the PS Director, and gets exemption from import duties and other taxes on textile imports.

The suspect LGH imported 180 containers of textile raw materials from Tanjung Emas and Tanjung Priok ports from China.

Textile raw materials entering the PT HGI Bonded Zone are not produced and are not exported. However, the suspect LGH along with suspect IP, suspect MRP, and suspect H sold the raw materials domestically.

Suspect IP and suspect MRP received a sum of money from suspect LGH, while suspect H received Rp2 billion from suspect LGH to arrange for the settlement of the two container obstruction and ease of re-export.

The actions of the suspects resulted in state losses, the amount of which is still being calculated by the team of investigators and experts.

The suspects were charged with Article 2 paragraph (1) subsidiary Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law no. 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code.

In addition, alleging that Article 5 paragraph (1) letter a is a subsidiary of letter b more than a subsidiary of Article 13 jo. Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law no. 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) 1 of the Criminal Code.