Covering COVID-19 Subsidy And State Loss Of IDR 100 Billion, Japan Coordinates Returning Citizens Arrested In Indonesia

Illustration of COVID-19 in Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/mrhayata)

JAKARTA - The Japanese authorities are coordinating with the authorities in Indonesia to repatriate their nationals who are suspected of embezzling funds from the corona virus subsidy who were arrested in Bandarlampung along with their family members.

Mitsuhiro Taniguchi (47), is suspected of defrauding the government of more than 960 million yen or around Rp.

Taniguchi's whereabouts were unknown after he left Japan for Indonesia in October 2020. Later, his position was discovered when he was about to extend his visa.

Indonesian immigration authorities arrested him Tuesday night in the provincial capital of Lampung, Bandarlampung, on suspicion of extending his visa after Japan revoked his passport, Head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police's Public Relations Division, Kombes Pol Gatot Repli Handoko, told Kyodo News, as quoted on June 8.

He is believed to have led a group involving at least 10 people, including his ex-wife and two sons. The group allegedly filed about 1,780 fake subsidy applications from May 2020 to September this year, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Regarding the arrest, the Tokyo Police said they were coordinating with Indonesian authorities to bring Taniguchi back to Japan.

At the end of May, Taniguchi's ex-wife and two sons were arrested on suspicion of fraud.

This group collects fake applicants for subsidies through social networks or by holding seminars. Then take care of the relevant paperwork for a reward of up to hundreds of thousands of yen in each case, according to investigators.

Previously reported, the National Police said that the fugitive from the Japanese police, Mitsuhiro Taniguchi, had been handed over to the Immigration Office for the administrative process. So, in the near future, the fugitive in the case of fraudulent COVID-19 subsidy funds will be immediately deported. "Then, he was secured and this morning at 5 o'clock arrived at Imgirasi. Today the administration was asked for information first," said Head of the Public Relations Division of the Indonesian National Police Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo at the DPR RI .

If the administrative process is completed, the Immigration authorities who have the authority will deport Mitsuhiro Tamaguchi. Of course, by coordinating with the Japanese authorities first. "Only after the Immigration administration will deport him," he said. In the deportation process, the National Police will be involved. However, it is limited to assistance so that unwanted things don't happen. "Later it will be accompanied by the police and will be handed over to the Japanese police," said Dedi.