Alleged Money Flows to Director General of Customs Revealed, KPK Chair Discusses Strategy

Several officials at the Directorate General of Customs (Ditjen Bea Cukai) are said to have received money in Singapore dollars, including the Director General of Customs, Djaka Budhi Utama. The chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Setyo Budiyanto, said the agency has handed over to investigators the strategy for pursuing the case.

‘Undoubtedly, leadership will not pre-empt (react) because there will be strategies to be carried out by the investigators. Moreover, this process concerns recipients who have already entered the court proceedings. Well, it is that strategy which will be reported,’ Setyo told reporters in Anyer, Serang Regency, Banten, on Thursday (21 May 2026).

Setyo said investigators will of course re-check the consistency of what is stated in the minutes of examination with the results of court proceedings. The statements at the two stages will be processed and only then will the leadership know what strategy the investigators will adopt.

‘That will certainly be processed by the Directorate for enforcement and that is where the strategy to be employed by the investigators will be reported,’ he explained.

When asked whether the KPK would summon the Director General of Customs for questioning after the prosecutors’ remarks in court, Setyo said the leadership would not pre-empt the investigators’ duties and powers over witness examinations.

‘That is why it will be studied, processed, and discussed. We, the leadership, will not want to pre-empt, so as not to mix evolving information with what is obtained during court examinations or investigations,’ he said.

Regarding a separate Customs Directorate General operation that uncovered the manufacture of illegal cigarette tax stamps in Central Java, specifically Jepara and Semarang, Setyo assured there is no link to the case currently being handled by the KPK.

‘Yes, I think it is not related. Because the Directorate General of Customs has authority to conduct investigations as well. That is their remit, so it will be different and there will be no mixing or overlap in the investigation process. The Customs investigations here concern internal corruption,’ he explained.

Prosecutors reveal envelope codes ‘1’ for the Director General of Customs

Earlier, KPK prosecutors presented Orlando Hamonangan Sianipar alias Ocoy, head of the Intelligence Section on Customs within the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation (DJBC), as a witness in a case involving bribery in imports at the Directorate General of Customs. The prosecutors pressed Ocoy about codes on an envelope supplied by the private company Blueray Cargo.

The codes were first revealed in Jakarta’s Corruption Court on Wednesday (20 May 2026). The prosecutors displayed photographs of the evidence, including envelopes bearing codes.

‘Your lordship, we will display the photos, and then relate them to the codes that Mr Ocoy understands as to who received a share of those envelopes,’ prosecutor M Takdir Suhan told the panel.

Takdir said one envelope was intended for the Director General of Customs with code number 1. Ocoy admitted he did not know who owned the envelope with code number 1.

‘Number 1 I do not know, Sir. Number 2 I know, number 3 I know, Sir,’ Ocoy replied.

The prosecutor then asked who supplied those envelopes to the owners of the respective codes. Ocoy said he did not know.

‘For the other codes, was this also passed through a witness or was it through their knowledge? Was it given by Mr John or through Mr Deddy or Mr Andri?’ Takdir asked.

‘I do not know, Sir,’ Ocoy replied.

In this case, the KPK prosecutors charged three Blueray Cargo executives as defendants in the bribery case involving imports at the Directorate General of Customs: Defendant I John Field, head of Blueray Cargo; Defendant II Deddy Kurniawan Sukolo, Operations Manager of Blueray Cargo; and Defendant III Andri, head of Blueray Cargo’s documents team. The prosecutors allege all three provided bribe money amounting to SGD 61.3 billion, in addition to various facilities and luxury items worth around Rp 1.8 billion.