Police aim low in immigration graft probe<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After a yearlong investigation into the embezzlement of billions
\nof rupiah in departure tax from Soekarno-Hatta airport, the
\nJakarta Police have little to show for their efforts in terms of
\nhigh-profile arrests.<\/p>\n
Police detained five tax and immigration officials over the
\nweekend, but released three of the officials on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana
\nsaid three of the officials had been released because of a lack
\nof evidence.<\/p>\n
Now the police seem to be focusing their attentions on the go-
\nbetweens and labor exporting firms believed to have helped the
\nofficials embezzle the funds.<\/p>\n
\"We have submitted the case files of two officials and a go-
\nbetween to the Tangerang Prosecutor's Office. We had to release
\nthe other three officials because we did not have enough evidence
\nto detain them. We will expand our investigation to look into
\nmore go-betweens,\" Ketut told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The police announced on Monday that after an investigation
\nthat lasted for more than a year, they had arrested three
\nimmigration officials, two tax officials and several go-betweens
\nsuspected of involvement in the embezzlement of billions of
\nrupiah in departure tax over the last several years.<\/p>\n
Police identified the immigration and tax officials only by
\ntheir initials and age: AL, 40; AS, 28; H, 41; AP, 28; and BZ,
\n20.<\/p>\n
The go-betweens were identified as MT, 45; HMA, 40; AK, 20;
\nNGL, 32; and AF, 30. Ketut said they were arrested based on
\ninformation officers gathered from the detained officials.<\/p>\n
A detective close to the investigation said police were also
\nlooking into the owners of several labor exporting firms
\nsuspected of not paying the full departure tax when they sent
\nmigrant workers abroad.<\/p>\n
He said the owner of one labor exporting firm in Tangerang had
\nsent about 200,000 workers abroad over the last several years
\nwithout paying the full departure tax.<\/p>\n
The detective said the owner colluded with several immigration
\nand tax officials to avoid the tax.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of paying a Rp 1 million departure tax for each of
\nthe workers, he paid Rp 500,000 or less directly to the
\nofficials. The officials kept the money instead of submitting it
\nto the state,\" the detective told the Post.<\/p>\n
However, according to a government regulation on the departure
\ntax, migrant workers leaving the country are exempt from the
\ndeparture tax.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week he had
\nreceived a report that the state was losing hundreds of billions
\nof rupiah because of corruption in the immigration office.<\/p>\n
He ordered National Police chief Gen. Sutanto to investigate
\nthe matter.<\/p>\n
Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said leakage in the
\ncollection of the departure tax at Soekarno-Hatta airport alone
\ncould reach Rp 200 billion annually.<\/p>\n
A member of the National Ombudsman Commission, Teten Masduki,
\nsaid the police had to go after high-ranking officials if they
\nhoped to break up the network.<\/p>\n
\"With such huge losses, it is impossible that high-ranking
\nofficials from the tax and immigration directorates and the
\nministries are not involved in the graft,\" he told the Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-aim-low-in-immigration-graft-probe-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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