KPK Chief on Customs DG Name Emerging in Trial: Will Be Scrutinised

Jakarta (CNN Indonesia) – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Setyo Budiyanto has responded to the emergence of the name of the Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance, Djaka Budi Utama, in a trial concerning alleged bribery related to goods importation within the Customs and Excise environment. Setyo stated that KPK investigators will scrutinise the information presented in the trial. He explained that typically after a trial concludes, prosecutors will compile a development report based on the prosecution process. “However, with the emergence of such information, it is certainly being scrutinised by investigators and the enforcement deputy; it is not simply dismissed,” Setyo told reporters on Wednesday (17/7). Regarding the possibility of Djaka being summoned for questioning, Setyo said that decision rests with the investigators. He declined to pre-empt their work. “Everything must involve a study and detailed information, because there are usually specific discussions between the prosecutor and the investigator. That is still at the deputy level. Once it is truly complete and firm, then perhaps there will be a plan for the next steps,” he said. The Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, was mentioned as having received approximately Rp21 billion in the alleged bribery case involving several officials at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. This was revealed during the trial by defendant John Field, a leader of the Blueray Cargo Group. Djaka was alleged to have received the total sum of Rp21 billion in stages over seven instalments. The breakdown of the money allegedly intended for Djaka was read out by KPK Public Prosecutors during the examination of John Field as a defendant at the Corruption Court in the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday (12/6). In this case, John Field is accused of bribing several officials at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise with a total of Rp61 billion, along with providing entertainment facilities and luxury goods worth Rp1.8 billion. The bribery was allegedly carried out together with defendant II, Dedy Kurniawan Sukolo, the Operational Manager of Custom Clearance at the Port for Blueray Cargo Group, and defendant III, Andri, the Head of the Import Document Team at Blueray Cargo Group. Meanwhile, the alleged bribe recipients include the Director of Enforcement and Investigation, Rizal; the Head of the Intelligence Sub-Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation, Sisprian Subiaksono; and the Head of Customs Intelligence Section I of the Enforcement and Investigation Directorate, Orlando Hamonangan.