Having Export Transactions Of IDR1.1 Trillion And Avoiding 10% VAT, Nine Companies Are Allegedly Involved In The Cooking Oil Cartel

Boyamin Saiman, Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI). (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) has reported the alleged cartel of cooking oil and crude palm oil (CPO) to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU). A number of data are also provided to complete the investigation carried out by KPPU.

The Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman said the data held by MAKI had been submitted via email to the KPPU complaint. One of them is the name of nine companies in Sumatra and one foreign company that buys CPO.

"The massive export of nine companies is suspected to be the cause of the scarcity and high cost of cooking oil," he told reporters, Friday, April 1.

Boyamin said the nine large exporting companies were exporting CPO abroad on a large scale with the alleged mode of not paying the Value Added Tax (VAT) of 10 percent from the Bonded Logistics Center facility on Sumatra Island.

"And one foreign company as the buyer of CPO from the alleged nine large exporting companies with transactions of IDR 1.1 trillion," he explained.

The data on 9 CPO exporting companies that are suspected of not paying 10 percent VAT are PT. PA; PT. EPs; PT. PIs; PT. BA; PT. IT; PT. NL; PT. TJ; PT. MS and PT. S P. Meanwhile, one foreign company that buys CPO is a VODF company PTE.LTD based in a neighboring Southeast Asian country.

In its report, MAKI also attaches an explanation of the alleged game flow to avoid VAT of 10 percent from the Bonded Logistics Center area facilities because CPO is directly sold abroad or exported without going through the industrial process as stipulated in the bonded zone.

"MAKI hopes that if later proven the existence of a cartel allegation, MAKI asks KPPU to confiscate all the profits of the alleged CPO cartel," he said.