State Palace Responds After Raffi Ahmad's Name Drawn into Customs Corruption Case
The Palace, through the Minister of State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi, has spoken out after the name of the Special Envoy to the President for Youth Development, Raffi Ahmad, was implicated in an alleged bribery case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance.
Pras, as he is commonly known, urged all parties to concentrate and cooperate on national economic recovery, noting that the current economic condition is influenced by various factors. He did not provide a direct or specific response regarding the case itself.
“Therefore, let us hold hands, tighten our ranks, and cooperate with one another to strengthen our economy. That is all for now,” he stated at the parliamentary complex on Tuesday (9/6).
Raffi himself has denied allegations of his involvement in the alleged import corruption. He stated that he is accustomed to being mentioned in various issues despite never being involved.
“That is not true,” said Raffi Ahmad in Jakarta. “Oh well, I am used to it. I have been implicated in money laundering and such before.”
“But certainly, in this case, I have never had any transactions, nor have I ever ordered or received anything,” he emphasised, as reported on Tuesday (9/6).
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) previously mentioned Raffi’s name after he reportedly visited the Blueray Cargo office in the United States (US) to entrust or send several electronic items to Indonesia, such as the iPhone 17.
However, the Acting Director of Investigation at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, admitted that they have not yet further developed these facts within the investigation of the Customs case.
“It is true, there are facts that Mr. RA [Raffi Ahmad] entrusted items,” he said.
Raffi’s name first emerged during a trial at the Corruption Court of the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday (5/6) in a case involving the defendants, the leadership of Blueray Cargo (Group), John Field, and others.
Initially, KPK prosecutors questioned witness Sri Pangestuti, also known as Tuti, a Customs Service Agent (PPJK), regarding requests to ship laptops and iPhone 17s from the US to Indonesia. This request was reportedly made by Yohanes, a personal assistant to John Field, during Raffi’s visit to the Blueray Cargo office in the US.
Raffi’s name is also included in the interrogation report (BAP) of Yohanes. This was questioned by prosecutors during the trial on Wednesday (20/5).
“In BAP Number 108, there is a cargo entrustment in Bali under the name of Raffi Ahmad through Nelwan, an employee of Blueray Jakarta representing the US. He entrusted laptops and mobile phones, how is this, witness?” asked the prosecutor.
Yohanes explained that Nelwan serves as the Head of Division for Blueray Cargo in the US and that Raffi was on holiday at the time.
John Field and two subordinates, Dedy Kurniawan Sukolo and Andri, are accused of bribing several officials at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise with funds amounting to Rp61 billion, as well as providing entertainment facilities and luxury goods worth Rp1.8 billion.
The recipients of the bribes include the Director of Enforcement and Investigation of Customs and Excise, Rizal; the Head of the Intelligence Sub-directorate of Enforcement and Investigation, Sisprian Subiaksono; and the Head of Customs Intelligence Section I of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation, Orlando Hamonangan.
Recently, Raffi has engaged lawyer Hotman Paris as a legal step after being named in the alleged bribery case within the Customs and Excise environment. In a social media post alongside Hotman Paris on Tuesday (9/6), Raffi Ahmad issued a warning to those reporting news that is “far from the actual story.”
“Mr. @hotmanparisofficial says… Be careful to those creating news that is far from the truth / false testimony / extreme hoaxes, as you could face defamation charges. See you on THURSDAY,” wrote Raffi Ahmad.