Former customs and excise official nabbed in graft scam<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The National Police has detained former Merak Customs and Excise
\nofficer Marwan since Thursday for his alleged involvement in an
\nRp 153 billion (US$18 million) tax and import duty evasion scam.<\/p>\n
\"He has been declared a suspect in the scandal,\" Brig. Gen.
\nSoenarko Ardan, National Police deputy chief of public relations,
\nsaid on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The one-star general said the scandal began when PT Sunless
\nPipe Indonesian Java (SPIJ) imported pipes from Argentina three
\nyears ago. Marwan helped PT SPIJ avoid paying taxes and import
\nduty by falsifying the value of the imported goods at less than
\ntheir actual value, he said.<\/p>\n
PT SPIJ is a foreign investment company in Serang, Banten
\nprovince, whose core business is importing and manufacturing
\npipes.<\/p>\n
Soenarko said detectives investigated the case for three years
\nand only recently found enough evidence showing that the suspect
\nhad forged tax documents and received a payoff from PT SPIJ
\nduring his term. He did not say how much Marwan had received from
\nthe company.<\/p>\n
Marwan's term at the customs and excise office ended last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
The crime caused Rp 153 billion in losses to the state.<\/p>\n
Soenarko said police were continuing their investigation into
\nthe case and expected to nab more suspects soon.<\/p>\n
Police plan to interrogate additional witnesses from PT SPIJ
\nand the Merak Customs and Excise Office.<\/p>\n
\"Marwan's arrest is just the beginning. We believe that he is
\nnot the only person who was involved in the scam, and that it
\nmust have also involved people from the company,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The police were already eyeing several possible suspects, but
\nSoenarko declined to reveal their identities.<\/p>\n
The arrest of a customs and excise official has rarely been
\nmade, although the government institution is one of the most
\ncorrupt in the country as was indicated in an October 2001 survey
\nconducted by the Partnership for Governance Reform.<\/p>\n
No explanations were given by the police on the issue,
\nalthough the country has suffered great losses from
\nirregularities at the office.<\/p>\n
Last April, the Post reported that loss of state revenue due
\nto unpaid customs duties and import taxes stood at Rp 8 trillion
\nannually.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-customs-and-excise-official-nabbed-in-graft-scam-1447893297",
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