Truth of Inactive Customs DG's Involvement in Corruption Case Questioned

The name of the inactive Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, has been mentioned in the indictment for an alleged corruption case within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) of the Ministry of Finance, with the defendant and owner of Blueray Cargo, John Field.

Although Djaka’s name is dragged into the indictment, it does not appear as a recipient of money in the KPK’s indictment structure. This is according to the view of counter-intelligence specialist, Gautama Wiranegara.

“There is no name of Djaka Budhi Utama in the list of bribe recipients in the KPK’s indictment. The focus of the indictment is actually directed towards technical officials in the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation of Customs,” Gautama told reporters on Sunday, 10 May 2026.

In this case, the KPK indicts three parties from the Blueray Cargo Group, namely John Field as the company leader, Dedy Kurniawan Sukolo as the operational manager for customs clearance, and Andri as the head of the import documentation team. The three are suspected of giving money and luxury facilities to ease the release of imported goods and avoid customs inspection obstacles.

The case is said to have begun in May 2025 when John Field met the Director of Enforcement and Investigation of DJBC, Rizal, at a restaurant in the Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta. The meeting then continued in June 2025 at the DJBC Rawamangun office, East Jakarta.

In that meeting, the Head of the Subdirectorate of Intelligence of the Directorate of P2 DJBC, Sisprian Subiaksono, introduced John to the Head of Section I Customs Intelligence, Orlando Hamonangan Sianipar.

“From that series of meetings, there then emerged suspicions of efforts to condition the import route so that Blueray’s goods would not be subjected to too many inspections,” he said.

Djaka’s name then appeared in the indictment when the prosecutor explained a meeting at the Borobudur Hotel, Central Jakarta, in July 2025. In that forum, several Customs officials and cargo entrepreneurs were present. However, after that part, the indictment no longer elaborates on Djaka’s involvement in the alleged receipt of money or facilities.

“The indictment only mentions Djaka’s presence at the Borobudur meeting. This is similar to a trap by subordinates against their leader. Moreover, there is no explanation of fund flows or receipt of facilities in Djaka’s name,” he stated.