Businessman charged in Cirebon smuggling case

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

A businessman in the Central Java city of Cirebon has been named as a suspect in the smuggling of 14 containers carrying at least four luxury cars and hundreds of electronic goods inside, local prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Soenarko Kasidin, director of private company PT Tiang Grage which is the owner of the illegal containers, has been declared a suspect in the case, said Basuki, intelligence division head of the Cirebon customs and excise office.

He said that Soenarko has been charged with violating Law No. 10/1995 on customs affairs in the smuggling case.

Basuki said that more suspects could be named as his office was expanding the investigation to include local customs officials and other local authorities, including the state-owned port management of PT Pelindo, which is based in Cirebon.

"For sure, there is still only one suspect. We are still developing the investigation, and it is very likely that there will be more suspects," Basuki said.

Basuki said that his office has appointed four senior prosecutors for the case, which has cost the state about Rp 20.5 billion in financial losses.

In a separate event on Wednesday, Soenarko rejected the accusations, arguing that the investigation was rife with procedural irregularities. *********

"As an importer, I am objected to named as a suspect. There are many irregularities in making the decision," he said without elaborating.

Meanwhile, the Cirebon customs and excise office has been accused of refusing to open the 14 containers and five others smuggled via the local seaport in January.

It should have been opened on Monday by customs officials along with police and an investigation team from the Cirebon legislative council as well as prosecutors.

But because head of the West Java provincial customs and excise office Heru Santoso failed to show up, the opening ceremony was canceled.

"The unloading could not be conducted because officials from the West Java customs and excise office did not come," Bambang Tri Hono, a spokesman for the Cirebon customs office, said without further elaborating.

Reached on Wednesday, he insisted on refusing to give a reason for his office's refusal to immediately unload the illegal containers.

Suspicions have surfaced that the containers had been emptied or its contents were unloaded and filled up with other goods.

When Customs and Excise Director General Permana Agung inspected the Cirebon seaport last month, he only opened three of the 14 smuggled containers.

At least four luxurious cars were found inside two of the three containers, while another one consisted of dozens of electronic goods.

The 14 containers had been disappeared from the warehouse of the local custom office but were eventually discovered by the legislative council's team at a warehouse of PT Yogadani Gemilang belonging to local businessman identified only as Jhony.

Known for close relations with senior military and police officers in Cirebon, Jhony's legal status remains unclear in the investigation.

The illegal containers are now sitting at the Cirebon seaport after having been moved from Jhony's warehouse on Thursday.