New Chapter in Blueray Case: Kediri Customs Chief Named Suspect

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Gatot Heroe Hernanda, Head of the Kediri Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office (KPP), as a suspect in an alleged corruption case.

The case is an expansion of an alleged bribery and/or gratification case related to goods imports within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise involving the company PT Blueray Cargo (Group).

Gatot’s status as a suspect emerged when PT Blueray Cargo owner John Field was examined as a witness on Wednesday (22 July).

“Mr Gatot,” said John Field at the KPK’s Red-and-White Building in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon, when asked to confirm the identity of the suspect Gatot.

John Field is a convict in the bribery and/or gratification case related to goods imports at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

The panel of judges at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced John Field to two years in prison and a fine of Rp300 million, with a subsidiary penalty of 100 days’ imprisonment.

Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, confirmed the news of Gatot’s designation as a suspect.

“Since it has indeed been confirmed with the person concerned, it means it is true,” Taufik Husein said at the Red-and-White Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Earlier, during a hearing at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday (21 July), John Field admitted to giving Rp3.2 billion to Gatot Heroe. He said the money was handed over in envelopes bearing the code ‘PGH’.

John Field made the statement when he was presented by KPK prosecutors as a witness for the defendants, including Director of Customs Enforcement and Investigation Rizal and others.

The KPK has also just issued two new Investigation Orders (Sprindik) related to the alleged corruption case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance.

The new Sprindiks are based on the legal facts that emerged during the trial of the goods import bribery case involving John Field and others.

Under the first Sprindik, one person has already been named a suspect, while no suspect has yet been named under the second.

“If you have been following the trial, the judges’ ruling already established that the payments from Blueray totalled Rp91 billion. After our analysis and review of the ongoing investigation results regarding the recipients, we found there were several clusters within that Rp91 billion, one of which concerns Customs and Excise,” said Acting Director of Investigations Achmad Taufik Husein at the Red-and-White Building in Jakarta on Tuesday (21 July).

“There are others besides Customs and Excise, but they are still related, as this was mentioned in the ruling on the giver, Blueray. So we have issued two Sprindiks related to this,” he continued.

Nevertheless, Taufik could not yet provide detailed information about the two Sprindiks. He said this would be conveyed to the public once the investigation process was complete.

“For the cluster concerning Customs and Excise, we have already named a suspect. There is one, because it is still related to the legal construction of the customs official’s case, so we designated them directly,” Taufik explained.

“Then the second cluster is still related to the interests of customs officials, but the facts of the case are different. That is the one for which we issued a general Sprindik. This means we will name a suspect once the two pieces of evidence are sufficient during the investigation,” he added.

Previously, the KPK stated that it would not appeal the ruling by the panel of judges of the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court against the leaders of Blueray Cargo (Group).

As a result, John Field will serve two years in prison and pay a fine of Rp300 million, with a subsidiary penalty of 100 days’ imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Dedy Kurniawan Sukolo, Customs Clearance Operations Manager at the Port for Blueray Cargo (Group), and Andri, Head of the Import Documentation Team at Blueray Cargo (Group), will each serve one and a half years in prison and pay fines of Rp200 million each, with subsidiary prison sentences of 80 days.

The cases against the Director of Enforcement and Investigation at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Rizal; Head of the Intelligence Sub-Directorate of the Enforcement and Investigation Directorate, Sisprian Subiaksono; Head of the Customs Intelligence Section I of the Enforcement and Investigation Directorate, Orlando Hamonangan; and Directorate General of Customs and Excise employee Budiman Bayu Prasodjo are still ongoing in court.

Other parties alleged to have received money but who have not yet faced legal proceedings include Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budhi Utama, who is alleged to have received Rp21 billion.

Also mentioned are the former Head of the Marunda Customs and Excise Supervision and Service Office (KPPBC), Ahmad Dedi, alias Dedi Congor, who is said to have received Rp30 billion, and Enov Puji Wijanarko, Head of the Import Enforcement Section I of the Enforcement and Investigation Directorate, who is alleged to have received money and one Mazda CX-5 vehicle worth Rp330,000,000.