Purbaya Reveals Prabowo Previously Considered Dissolving Customs Authority

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has revealed that President Prabowo Subianto previously expressed his desire on several occasions to disband the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

Prabowo reportedly considered replacing the institution with an inspection system operated by an independent survey company or Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS). “A few weeks ago I held a meeting at the Palace with the President. He usually says to dissolve Customs and replace it with SGS,” Purbaya stated during an inauguration ceremony for Finance Ministry officials in Jakarta on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.

According to Purbaya, in recent weeks the President has begun to observe performance improvements within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, prompting the dissolution proposal to no longer be considered the primary option.

He also acknowledged that he had previously considered replacing the customs supervision system with SGS. However, following recent developments, Purbaya assessed that Customs performance has begun to demonstrate quite significant improvements.

He is confident that the institutional reforms can continue to be carried out without needing to replace the system with SGS supervision. According to Purbaya, the President’s recognition of these advances represents an appreciation of the reform efforts undertaken within the agency.

He also extended praise to Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budhi Utama and his team, whom he recognised for having worked diligently to achieve these improvements.