Beyond Safe House, Corruption Funds from Customs Case Stored in Operational Vehicles
The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained Budiman Bayu Prasojo (BBP), Head of the Customs Enforcement and Investigation Intelligence Section at the Directorate General of Customs (DJBC), a figure alleged to have ordered the placement of corruption proceeds in a safe house. Beyond the safe house, KPK discovered money stored within operational vehicles used by the suspects.
“The money collected was also used to purchase operational vehicles. The vehicle registration documents were in their possession. This group of officials created their own operational vehicles,” said Asep Guntur Rahayu, Deputy for Enforcement and Execution at KPK, at KPK headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Friday (27 February 2026).
Asep explained that portions of the money previously discovered by KPK were found in operational vehicles. The money was used by the suspects for specific purposes without needing to access the safe house.
“Some of the money we previously discovered was actually found in their operational vehicles. So there was also money stored in those operational vehicles for urgent needs,” he said. “They had everything complete, including their operational vehicles and so on,” he added.
Asep revealed that there was not just one operational vehicle. The registration documents of the vehicles have now been confiscated by KPK.
“And there was not just one operational vehicle. The registration documents can be examined. We are still using them, their usage has been identified, and the registration documents are in our possession. These have been confiscated. The units are currently being traced today, the vehicles. It’s like that,” he explained.
During the arrest process of the suspects in this case, the operational vehicle continued to move and change drivers. As a result, KPK focused on conducting searches at specific locations first.
“That’s the situation. How the money moved—changing vehicles, changing people, changing drivers, changing vehicles again, continuously like that. Meanwhile, our officers in the field were very limited,” he noted.
Budiman was arrested by KPK on Thursday (26 February) at approximately 4 pm local time. He was arrested at the Customs headquarters office in Jakarta.
Budiman’s role relates to Rp5 billion found by KPK in a safe house in Ciputat, South Tangerang. KPK suspects that Budiman ordered Salida Asmoaji (SA), an employee of the Customs Enforcement and Investigation Directorate (P2), to manage money from entrepreneurs whose products were subject to excise tax and importers.
The money was initially stored in a safe house located in Central Jakarta under Budiman’s direction. The money was used as operational funds.
“The money is suspected to originate from alleged corruption offences related to arranging import pathways for goods or customs matters and managing excise duties,” said Asep, KPK’s Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, on Friday (27 February).
In early February 2026, Budiman allegedly ordered Salida to “clean out” the safe house in Central Jakarta. In response to the order, Salida moved the money to another safe house in the Ciputat area, South Tangerang.
“In early February 2026, BBP ordered SA to ‘clean out’ the safe house located in Central Jakarta. SA then transferred the money to another safe house located in an apartment in the Ciputat area, South Tangerang,” he said.
“Investigators then conducted searches at the two safe house locations. Investigators discovered cash in various foreign currencies and rupiah totalling more than Rp5.19 billion, stored in five suitcases,” Asep added.
For his actions, Budiman is charged with violating Article 12B of the Law on Corruption Eradication in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code. Budiman was arrested at approximately 4 pm local time on Thursday (26 February).