Blueray Cargo Owner Sentenced to Two Years for Bribing Customs Officials
Jakarta (ANTARA) - John Field, owner of Blueray Cargo, has been sentenced to two years in prison after being proven guilty of bribery in connection with an alleged corruption case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance in 2025-2026.
Presiding Judge Brelly Yuniar Dien stated that John was proven to have bribed customs officials a total of Rp91.77 billion, together with Blueray Cargo’s Port Customs Clearance Operations Manager Dedy Kurniawan and Import Documentation Team Head Andri.
“The panel declares the defendants legally and convincingly guilty of jointly committing continuous acts of corruption, as set out in the primary indictment,” the Presiding Judge said at the verdict hearing at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday.
The Presiding Judge explained that the bribes were given so that Customs would expedite the release of Blueray Cargo Group’s imported goods from supervision at the Customs Section of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.
In contrast to John’s sentence, the Presiding Judge handed down lighter prison terms to Dedy and Andri, of one year and six months (1.5 years) each.
In addition to the prison sentences, all three defendants were also fined: John Rp300 million, subsidised by 100 days’ imprisonment, and Dedy and Andri Rp200 million each, subsidised by 80 days’ imprisonment.
The three were thus found guilty of violating Article 605 paragraph (1) letter a in conjunction with Article 20 letter c in conjunction with Article 126 paragraph (1) of the National Criminal Code, in conjunction with Article VII number 48 of Law Number 1 of 2026 on Penal Adjustment.
Before delivering the verdict, the panel of judges considered several aggravating and mitigating factors. The aggravating circumstances were that the defendants’ actions contradicted the government’s efforts to eradicate corruption.
Furthermore, the defendants’ actions were deemed to have diminished public trust in the Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Ministry of Finance in general.
Among the mitigating circumstances considered were that the defendants were forthright, admitted and regretted their actions and would not repeat them; had never been convicted before; and had wives, children and families dependent on them.
The panel of judges held that the defendants’ actions constituted a criminal offence, but that they did not necessarily stem entirely from the defendants’ own initiative.
“The acts were also triggered by circumstances deliberately engineered by rogue Customs and Excise officers, aimed at hampering the defendants’ cargo business and causing it to potentially decline and suffer losses,” the Presiding Judge said.
The sentence handed down by the panel of judges was slightly lighter than the prosecutors’ demands. Previously, John Field had been indicted with 3 years in prison and a fine of Rp300 million, subsidised by 100 days’ imprisonment, while Dedy and Andri had each been indicted with 2 years and 6 months in prison and fines of Rp200 million, subsidised by 80 days’ imprisonment.