Investigating Illegal Import Of Used Shoes Scandal In Batam And Jakarta, Ministry Of Industry Forms Task Force

Expert Staff to the Minister of Industry for Climate Business and Investment Andi Rizaldi (third from the right). (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) ensures that it will follow up on the illegal import of used shoes that occurred some time ago.

Expert Staff to the Minister of Industry for Business Climate and Investment Andi Rizaldi said that his party together with a number of relevant ministries/institutions had formed a task force to conduct an investigation regarding the illegal imports.

"This joint task force is the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade and Industry. So, it must be investigated so it doesn't disturb the national industry," Andi told reporters at the Ministry of Industry Building, Jakarta, Wednesday, March 8.

Andi assesses, basically, the used goods cannot be imported. This refers to the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 40 of 2022 concerning Export Prohibited Goods and Import Prohibited Goods.

In the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 40 of 2022, used clothes and other used goods are included in goods that are prohibited from importing with tariff headings or HS 6309.00.00 and are listed in part IV Types of used bags, used sacks, and used clothes.

"So, the used basics cannot be imported. So, the new ones (goods) can be imported," he said.

Andi promised that his party would resolve the case so that the domestic shoe industry would not be disturbed.

"Yes, it really has to be investigated, right? There are a lot of issues with our ports. So, it's not necessarily that it enters a legal port, it can go to a rat port. So, it really has to be investigated," he said.

Even so, Andi could not disclose further about the target of completing the investigation into the illegal import of used shoes.

"I have not received information (about) the target, but the task force for illegal imports already exists," he concluded.

Previously, the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) promised to immediately uncover the scandal of importing used shoes from the Batam Market to the Jakarta Market.

This is due to a video that was investigated by a journalist in Singapore, which revealed that a number of used shoes from that country were donated by their owners to a sustainability project, but ended up in flea markets in Indonesia.

The Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said the import practice had to be stopped immediately because it had a negative impact on the domestic footwear industry.

"This incident shows that the illegal import of used shoes is carried out in an organized manner and misuses social projects. The Ministry of Industry cannot act alone to combat this illegal import activity," he said in his press statement, Monday, March 6.