Key Facts: Five Suitcases Containing Rp5 Billion Found in Safe House Linked to Customs Bribery Case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has discovered additional locations where money was concealed in connection with the alleged bribery and gratification case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC).
In the latest development, the KPK successfully uncovered suitcases containing Rp5 billion related to the alleged importation corruption case ensnaring senior customs officials, found at a safe house in Ciputat, South Tangerang.
“The money in the suitcases was secured when investigators conducted a search at the safe house. Investigators will naturally examine the discovery of the five suitcases containing money in greater depth,” said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo when contacted via written message on Wednesday (18 February).
The following are the latest facts in the alleged bribery and gratification case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise currently being investigated by the KPK:
A Different Safe House
Budi explained that the safe house in Ciputat was different from the one previously revealed during the announcement of the sting operation (OTT) in early February, where money suspected to be the proceeds of bribery and gratification had been stored.
The previously disclosed safe house was an apartment.
The discovery of two different safe houses indicates the suspects maintained more than one secret location to store illicit funds related to importation activities.
“That is correct, it is different from the previous one,” Budi said.
Six Suspects
The KPK has named six individuals as suspects in the case.
The suspects are Rizal, the former Director of Investigation and Enforcement at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise for the period 2024 to January 2026; Sisprian Subiaksono, Head of the Intelligence Sub-directorate for Enforcement and Investigation at the DJBC.
Additionally, Orlando, Head of the Intelligence Section at the DJBC; Andri, Head of the Import Documentation Team at PT BR; John Field, the owner of PT Blueray; and Dedy Kurniawan, Operations Manager at PT BR.
All suspects have been detained at the KPK’s State Detention Centre.
Criminal Charges
For their actions, Rizal, Sisprian and Orlando have been charged under Article 12 paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Corruption Eradication Act, as well as Article 605 paragraph 2 and Article 606 paragraph 2 in conjunction with Articles 20 and 21 of the Criminal Code.
They have also been charged under Article 12B of the Corruption Eradication Act in conjunction with Articles 20 and 21 of the Criminal Code.
Meanwhile, John Field, Andri and Dedy Kurniawan, as the bribe givers, have been charged under Article 605 paragraph 1(a) and (b) and Article 606 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.
Suspected Involvement of Other Importing Companies
The KPK has revealed that there are other freight forwarding companies allegedly implicated in bribing the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, beyond PT Blueray (BR).
“Regarding the matter of payments, this has not yet been confirmed. However, there are indeed other forwarders involved,” said Asep Guntur Rahayu, Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution at the KPK, at the Merah Putih Building in Jakarta on Monday (9 February).
Asep said his team would investigate the matter further through a number of witnesses, particularly from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.
“This is also one of the things we are currently examining in depth, especially from the customs officials themselves,” he said.
“Everything ultimately leads back to these individuals. We will explore where else, besides PT BR, there may have been similar activity,” he added.