East Java and Central Java Top Regions for Subsidised Fuel and LPG Diversion

Bareskrim Polri states that the provinces of East Java (Jatim) and Central Java (Jateng) have recorded the highest number of suspected misuse cases involving subsidised BBM and LPG. Director of Specific Crimes at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Moh Irhamni, said that over the past two weeks, there were 44 cases in the Central Java Regional Police (Polda Jateng) and 41 related cases in the East Java Regional Police (Polda Jatim). “This shows that in East Java and Central Java, such activities remain prevalent,” he stated in a written release on Wednesday (22/4). Irhamni explained that one contributing factor is the total of 1,000 petrol stations (SPBU) in both regions, thereby increasing the potential for BBM and LPG misuse. “(The modus operandi involves) collecting it, then transporting it to storage sites, and subsequently selling it to industries. This can be seen from the distribution of the number of operating SPBU in those areas. Central Java and East Java have the most,” he added. Irhamni detailed that for BBM misuse specifically, the seized evidence amounted to 403,158 litres of diesel and 58,656 litres of Pertalite. According to him, during that period, they arrested 330 suspects from 223 cases of subsidised BBM and LPG diversion, with total state losses reaching Rp243 billion. “The average profit they gain is around Rp30,000 per kilogram. Imagine that—for a 5 kg (cylinder), it means Rp150,000 per cylinder in profit for them,” he said. Previously, Deputy Head of Bareskrim Polri, Inspector General Nunung Syaifudin, stated that the perpetrators and intellectual actors would not only face general criminal charges but also money laundering offences (TPPU). “Whoever is involved, whether field perpetrators, financiers, receivers, or those behind the scenes, we will pursue, act against, and process to completion. I have instructed investigators to charge them with TPPU articles,” he said. Finally, he added that if involvement of Civil Servants (ASN) is found, the case will be handed over to the Police Corps for Eradicating Corruption Crimes. “Our commitment is zero tolerance towards the subsidised BBM and LPG mafia. The motto remains the same: if you persist in being reckless, we will crack down,” he stated.