Fact Check: Claim that President Prabowo Has Officially Disbanded Customs and Excise is a Hoax

A video uploaded to YouTube has falsely claimed that President Prabowo Subianto officially disbanded the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC). The upload also narrated that Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa had dismissed all parties referred to as the ‘export mafia’ within Customs and Excise. The title narrative in the upload read: ‘THE PRESIDENT OFFICIALLY DISBANDS CUSTOMS AND EXCISE TODAY, ALL EXPORT MAFIA IN CUSTOMS AND EXCISE FIRED BY MR PURBAYA!’ However, based on investigation, no official information or statement was found indicating that President Prabowo has disbanded the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. Furthermore, the content of the circulating video does not contain any discussion regarding the dissolution of the agency. In fact, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has emphasised that the establishment of PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI) as an export trading body will not alter or take over the functions of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. ‘It remains as usual. What is the difference? It handles reporting and various matters, later it (DSI) will conduct trading, but Customs and Excise still inspects exports and imports. So it does not mean the function of Customs and Excise is lost,’ Purbaya said, as reported by ANTARA. According to him, the task of supervising exports and imports remains with Customs and Excise as it has been. Purbaya explained that PT DSI only plays a role in trading activities, while the process of inspecting and supervising exports and imports remains the authority of Customs and Excise. He also stressed that there is no plan to transfer the functions of the DJBC. The government has instead stated its commitment to strengthening the performance of Customs and Excise. Although President Prabowo has signalled an evaluation of the agency’s performance, the intended steps are improvements and organisational reforms, not the dissolution of the institution. Thus, the claim that President Prabowo has officially disbanded Customs and Excise is false information or a hoax.