Immigration Affirms Foreign Offenders Face Imprisonment, Not Just Deportation
The Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections has affirmed its commitment to taking firm action against foreign nationals (WNA) who commit criminal offences in Indonesia. Henceforth, any foreigner proven to have violated the law will not only face administrative sanctions such as deportation and blacklisting but will also be subject to criminal proceedings leading to imprisonment.
Director General of Immigration, Hendarsan Marantoko, stated that this measure is intended to serve as a deterrent and to prevent the entry of individuals with malicious intent into the country. “This is a message to foreign nationals with bad intentions. Do not imagine you will only be deported. We will impose criminal charges; you will go to jail, you will go to prison,” Hendarsan emphasised in Jakarta on Tuesday.
As tangible proof of this firm stance, the Directorate General of Immigration has transferred the case files of 10 foreign nationals involved in a fake investor scheme to the Tangerang District Prosecutor’s Office. The perpetrators were found to have entered Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport using investor visas.
Suspicion arose when officers discovered these “investors” living together in an apartment, a situation deemed unusual for business profiles. Following an investigation by the Tangerang Immigration Office, it was revealed that all their supporting documents were fictitious.
The Head of the Tangerang Immigration Office, Hasanin, explained that the foreign nationals had falsified notarial deeds and company bank statements to obtain Limited Stay Permits (ITAS) for investors. In reality, they had no genuine business activities in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration for Banten, Barron Ichsan, disclosed that Indonesia was merely a transit country for the perpetrators. Their main motive was to secure an Indonesian ITAS to facilitate visa applications to European countries, particularly the United Kingdom.
For their actions, the 10 foreign nationals have been charged with multiple articles concerning data forgery and providing false information.