Why Purbaya Does Not Suspend Customs Director General Djaka Budhi
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has responded to the emergence of Director General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) Djaka Budhi Utama’s name in the indictment of the Blueray Cargo case involving defendant John Field. He confirmed that he will not suspend Djaka while awaiting the ongoing legal process.
“No (suspension). Until it’s clear what happens there. The (legal) process has only just begun. His name has just appeared; we can’t stop everything immediately. We’ll see until it’s completely clear what the case is, then we’ll take action,” Purbaya stated at the Ministry of Finance office in Jakarta on Thursday, 7 May 2026, quoted from Antara.
Purbaya said he has communicated with Djaka and assured that the Customs Director General will respect the ongoing legal process. The Ministry of Finance will also provide legal assistance to Djaka if needed during the proceedings. “Oh yes, there will be (legal assistance). If Mr Djaka is called, for example, and so on. Others have assistance too. It’s not intervention, of course.”
The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance had previously stated it would respect the court’s legal process that implicates Djaka Budhi Utama in the indictment of the alleged corruption case involving counterfeit goods imports.
Head of the Sub-Directorate for Public Relations and Outreach of Customs Budi Prasetiyo said his side continues to uphold the principle of presumption of innocence. “As this case has entered the trial stage, to respect and maintain the independence of the process, we will not comment on the substance of the case,” he stated in a written release.
Meanwhile, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is still awaiting developments in the investigation of the alleged corruption case within the Customs and Excise environment after Djaka’s name surfaced in the indictment. KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the investigation is ongoing after investigators found several sums of money during a search some time ago.
The case originated from a handcatch operation (OTT) conducted by the KPK on 4 February 2026 within the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance. In that operation, one of the parties secured was Rizal, Head of the West Sumatra Regional Customs Office.
The following day, the KPK designated six out of 17 secured individuals as suspects in the alleged bribery and gratification case related to counterfeit goods imports within the Customs and Excise environment. They are Rizal (RZL) as Director of Enforcement and Investigation of Customs and Excise from 2024 to January 2026, Head of Sub-Directorate for Enforcement and Investigation Intelligence Sisprian Subiaksono (SIS), and Head of Customs Intelligence Section Orlando Hamonangan (ORL).
In addition, the KPK also designated Blueray Cargo owner John Field (JF), Head of Blueray Cargo Import Documentation Team Andri (AND), and Blueray Cargo Operations Manager Dedy Kurniawan (DK) as suspects.
Subsequently, on 26 February 2026, the KPK again designated a new suspect, namely Budiman Bayu Prasojo (BBP), Head of Excise Intelligence Section of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation of Customs and Excise. The next day, on 27 February 2026, the KPK revealed it was delving deeper into alleged corruption in excise management, among other things, after seizing Rp5.19 billion in cash in five suitcases from a house in Ciputat, South Tangerang, suspected to be related to the case.
On 6 May 2026, John Field, Andri, and Dedy Kurniawan underwent their first trial as defendants. Then, the name of Customs Director General Djaka Budhi Utama appeared in the indictment for the three defendants. In the indictment, Djaka Budhi, along with Rizal, Sisprian Subiaksono, and Orlando Hamonangan, is said to have met with cargo entrepreneurs at a hotel in Jakarta in July 2025. One of the entrepreneurs present was John Field.