Analyst Says Proof in Customs Case Must Be Conclusive

The emergence of the Rp21 billion figure in the trial of an alleged import bribery case involving several officials of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) has once again drawn public attention. Counter-Intelligence Analysis Specialist R. Gautama Wiranegara cautioned that the chain of evidence in the case still leaves important questions unanswered. According to Gautama, the public should not rush to conclude that certain parties received money based solely on the existence of codes in the company’s internal records and the statements of the bribe giver. “What must be answered is not who is named in the code, but who actually received the money,” Gautama told reporters on Monday, 15 June 2026. He explained that during the hearing on 12 June 2026, Blueray Cargo owner John Field did confirm the existence of codes BC1, BC2, and BC3 listed in the company’s payment records. In the construction read by the prosecutor, BC1 is linked to Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budi Utama with a value of Rp3 billion per month for seven months, totalling Rp21 billion. However, Gautama said John Field’s testimony must be read in its entirety, as the businessman did not claim to have directly witnessed the receipt of money by the party referred to in the code. “John confirmed the code and the explanation he received from Orlando Hamonangan. That is different from seeing the money received by the final recipient himself,” he stated. Gautama assessed that there are other trial facts that have not yet received much public attention. In a previous hearing on 20 May 2026, Orlando Hamonangan was said to have explained the existence of envelopes coded 1, 2, and 3. However, Orlando admitted he did not know the final recipient of the envelope coded 1. “The fact that emerged at that time actually stated that the code 1 envelope was handed over to Rizal. This is a very important fact and must not be ignored,” he said. Therefore, according to Gautama, there is a chain of evidence that still needs to be uncovered by investigators and public prosecutors. “If on 12 June John mentioned the code BC1 based on Orlando’s explanation, while on 20 May Orlando himself admitted he did not know the final recipient of code 1 and the envelope was with Rizal, then the proof is not yet complete,” he stressed.