Import Leakage Deemed a Systemic Threat to State Revenue, Here's the Explanation

Jakarta, VIVA – The bribery scandal and illegal imports involving the import services company Blueray Cargo and officials from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) in early 2026 is deemed a systemic threat to state finances and not merely an individual violation.

Secretary of the Indonesian Audit Watch (IAW) founder, Iskandar Sitorus, emphasised that manipulation of parameters in the import system has the potential to open up large-scale leakages in state revenue. With Indonesia’s import value reaching thousands of trillions of rupiah, the risk of losses becomes highly significant.

“If the leakage due to parameter manipulation is only a fraction, the potential lost revenue could reach tens to hundreds of trillions of rupiah,” said Iskandar in his statement on Monday, 4 May 2026.

He stated that parameter manipulation can cause various forms of deviations, from undervaluation and misclassification to the passage of illegal goods. The problem becomes even more complex because the targeting system relies heavily on the quality of processed data.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) had previously found that import data validation in the CEISA system does not guarantee accuracy. Customs values were even found to be unreasonable in several import transactions.

“If import data validation is weak, then the targeting rule set operates on flawed data,” said Iskandar.

This means the digital system not only fails to detect deviations but also potentially reinforces them. In such conditions, the state not only loses potential revenue but also control over the flow of goods. Iskandar assessed that this weakness makes the surveillance system vulnerable to exploitation by certain parties.

“If the trail of parameter changes is not robust or never audited, the state is in danger,” said Iskandar.

Therefore, he emphasised the importance of a thorough investigative audit of the targeting rule set system. Without improvements, leakages will continue to occur systematically.

“And in the end, the state becomes a victim of the system it has built itself,” he said.