PT MMS President Director Detained by Bareskrim After 87 Containers Searched in Palm Oil Export Manipulation Case

The investigation into the alleged manipulation of palm oil derivative export data by the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police has entered a new phase. The President Director of PT Mitra Mentari Sentosa (MMS), Whu Zeng Xie, has now been officially detained after being named a suspect. The detention was carried out by the Directorate of Specific Crimes (Dittipidter) of Bareskrim after investigators probed the alleged practice of under-invoicing, where the declared export value is suspected to be lower than the actual value in export documents. Commissioner Setyo K. Heriyatno, Head of Sub-Directorate I of Dittipidter Bareskrim, stated that the suspect’s detention was necessary to facilitate the ongoing investigation. “The suspect, President Director of PT Mitra Mentari Sentosa (MMS), Mr. Whu Zeng Xie, has been detained for the purposes of the investigation,” he said on Friday, 26 June 2026. In this case, investigators suspect that the manipulation of export values was carried out on palm oil derivative commodities, which are subject to export restrictions, require an Export Approval (PE), and are liable for export duties. According to Setyo, the alleged under-invoicing practice not only violates export regulations but also has the potential to cause state financial losses. “This alleged under-invoicing practice has the potential to cause state losses due to discrepancies in the reported export data,” he stated. To uncover the case, investigators have traced at least 95 export activities destined for China throughout 2024 to 2026. A number of documents are still being analysed to verify the accuracy of the reported export data. Additionally, investigators conducted physical checks on containers at Tanjung Priok Port and cross-referenced them with export documents held by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. “Investigators checked the containers at Tanjung Priok Port and examined the export documents at Customs. All data is being analysed and matched with the investigation results to strengthen the evidence for the case file,” he said. Bareskrim confirmed that the investigation will not stop with the naming of one suspect. Tracing of transaction flows, supporting documents, and the possible involvement of other parties is ongoing, including calculating the potential state losses arising from the alleged export manipulation.