Directorate General of Immigration Identifies 15 Sponsors for 320 Foreign Nationals in Hayam Wuruk Online Gambling Syndicate

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Immigration, Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services, has successfully identified the sponsors (guarantors) responsible for the presence of 320 foreign nationals (WNA) suspected of being part of an international online gambling (judol) syndicate in the Hayam Wuruk area, West Jakarta.

Immigration Director General Hendarsam Marantoko stated in Jakarta on Wednesday that 15 sponsors have been identified as responsible for bringing hundreds of WNA involved in judol.

“15 guarantors or sponsors have been identified as responsible for the presence of these WNA in Indonesia,” Hendarsam said.

The Directorate General of Immigration is currently investigating allegations of immigration crimes committed by the 320 WNA suspected of being part of the international judol syndicate through a joint investigation with the National Police (Polri).

The investigation has been ongoing since the 320 WNA were transferred to the Jakarta Immigration Detention House (Rudenim) and the Directorate General of Immigration on Sunday (10/5).

Hendarsam emphasised that in processing suspected criminal acts, the Directorate General of Immigration does not only target individual foreigners but also conducts in-depth examinations of sponsors or guarantors.

Immigration also has the authority to prosecute if both foreigners and sponsors show indications of involvement in criminal acts.

“As regulated in the immigration law, our investigators (PPNS) also have the authority to prosecute suspected immigration crimes committed by either foreigners or their sponsors,” Hendarsam stressed.

Previously, on Saturday (9/5), Polri arrested 321 people related to online gambling crimes (judol) of an international network.

Then, on Sunday, Polri announced that 320 of those involved in online gambling were foreign nationals (WNA), and their detention was handed over to the Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services (Kemenimipas).

The 320 arrested WNA consist of 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese, 13 Myanmar, 11 Laotian, 5 Thai, 3 Malaysian, and 3 Cambodian. Meanwhile, one other individual is an Indonesian national and is being further processed at Bareskrim Polri.