Ahmad Dedi Expresses Outrage Over 'Decong' Nickname During Customs Bribery Trial
Ahmad Dedi, a civil servant at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise under the Ministry of Finance, has expressed profound disappointment at being referred to as ‘Dedi Congor’ or ‘Decong’. Dedi stated that no family members or friends use such a nickname for him.
This testimony was delivered by Ahmad Dedi while serving as a witness in the bribery and gratification case involving the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Friday (18/09/2026). The defendant in the case is Orlando Hamonangan, Head of Customs Intelligence Section I of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation.
“Regarding the witness’s name, there are many variations; in the investigation report (BAP), the name is Mr Ahmad Dedi. Is the witness known by any other name or nickname?” the prosecutor asked.
“I must state that during the investigation process, Sir, my family has never called me anything else, my friends have never called me anything else, and no one else has ever used another name. I do not know why, more recently, my title has been mentioned as Decong or such,” Doded replied.
“To be honest, this makes me very disappointed, Sir. Because up to this very moment, not a single one of my friends calls me that. And no one calls me by that name,” Dedi continued.
Dedi clarified that his real name is Ahmad Dedi and that he has no other nicknames, including ‘Pak De’.
When the prosecutor pointed out that the ‘Get Contact’ application showed Dedi’s number saved under the name ‘Decong’, Dedi described those who saved his name that way as ‘insolent’.
“The number ends in 152. This is also in your BAP, regarding a conversation between you and Mr Rizal. This is your number, correct? Here, the end is 152. You previously stated that none of your friends call you Decong, correct?” the prosecutor asked.
“Rizal has never once called me Decong, Sir,” Dedi replied.
“Because in our records, it appears in the Get Contact names,” the prosecutor noted.
“That is why they are being insolent. Why do they create names for me as they please? But Rizal has never once called me Decong,” Dedi answered.
Dedi admitted to knowing Rizal, the Director of Enforcement and Investigation at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, but maintained that Rizal never used the nickname. The prosecutor then presented evidence (item number 247) showing that Rizal had indeed saved Dedi’s contact as ‘Decong’.
Dedi remarked that Rizal was not being ‘gentlemanly’ by saving the name that way without ever using it verbally. “That means he is the one being insolent, Sir. He never calls me that, but he writes it like that. If he were a gentleman, he would call me by it, Sir,” Dedi said.
Previously, three officials from the Ministry of Finance’s Customs and Excise department were indicted for receiving bribes and gratifications totalling Rp 78.8 billion. Prosecutors stated that the bribes and gratifications were received in both Rupiah and foreign currencies.
The three officials involved are Rizal, Director of Enforcement and Investigation; Sisprian Subiaksono, Head of Sub-directorate of Intelligence; and Orlando Hamonangan, Head of Customs Intelligence Section I.