Raffi Ahmad Dragged into Customs Case, Hotman Paris Gathers Evidence of Defamation

Hotman Paris stated that his team is gathering evidence regarding the alleged defamation and character assassination of Raffi Ahmad. This action was taken after Raffi’s name was mentioned in connection with a suspected bribery case related to the import of goods within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance. Hotman noted that this collection of evidence is a preliminary step before formal legal proceedings are initiated. “We will later identify those who have gone too far by turning this into a vehicle for slander on social media, not just merely reporting it,” Hotman said during a press conference in South Jakarta on Thursday. “If they simply reported that a witness said this in court, that is acceptable. But if it is spun into an accusation, that is defamation. We will pursue this through the legal process,” he continued. On that occasion, Hotman also emphasised that Raffi is not involved in the case being handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Hotman declared that Raffi never ordered an iPhone or laptop from Blueray. He added that Raffi does not even know anyone from the Blueray party. “Raffi does not even know who this Blueray is. He only happened to visit the Awang Kitchen restaurant in America, and Blueray was located next to it,” Hotman stated. “There has been an admission from someone at Blue Sky in America who said ‘poor Raffi, why is he being slandered, I only offered him something for free.’ And that did not even happen,” he continued. Raffi Ahmad was implicated in the suspected bribery case related to the import of goods at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise. His name first surfaced during a trial for the defendant John Field, the head of Blueray Cargo (Group), and his associates at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta. During the hearing, a KPK prosecutor questioned witness Sri Pangestuti, also known as Tuti, a Customs Clearance Services Entrepreneur, about a request to ship a laptop and an iPhone 17 from the US to Indonesia. The request was conveyed by Yohanes, who is John Field’s personal assistant, when Raffi visited the Blueray Cargo office in the US. Tuti confirmed the communication with Yohanes but claimed she was reluctant to fulfil the request. Raffi’s name was also recorded in Yohanes’s official examination report. Yohanes explained that Nelwan, the head of Blueray Cargo’s US division, had contacted him because Raffi was on holiday and wished to send a mobile phone, reportedly the newly released iPhone 17, to Indonesia. The KPK confirmed that Raffi’s name was mentioned in the case, with an official explaining that the celebrity had visited the Blueray Cargo office in the US to entrust or ship several electronic goods to Indonesia.