Witness Reveals Customs Official Requested Rp 50 Million After Complaining of Flood Damage
A prosecutor presented a private businessman named James as a witness in the alleged bribery case involving imports at the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise. James testified that he was asked for Rp 50 million by Orlando Hamonangan, the Head of Customs Intelligence Section I within the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation.
This testimony was delivered at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday (1/9/202lar). James stated that the defendant, Orlando, initially spoke about the poor condition of the Customs office following flash floods in Sumatra in 2025.
“He mentioned that the office was severely damaged and many employees had lost their belongings due to these flash floods. I felt that the natural disaster was quite severe, and I had seen in the media that many houses were swept away. Therefore, I agreed to help,” said James.
James noted that Orlando requested assistance for the disaster, specifically asking for Rp 50 million.
“He initially expressed that there were many needs, so to speak,” James replied.
When asked by the prosecutor if he assumed the amount requested was large because of these needs, James confirmed, “Yes, that is correct.”
When the prosecutor asked if the specific amount was mentioned after the initial small talk, James replied, “Yes, he said if you could help, it would be Rp 50 million.”
James stated that the money was handed directly to Orlando in the Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta, and noted that Orlando expressed his gratitude upon receiving the funds.
The prosecutor also read from James’s investigation report (BAP) regarding his company’s goods, which were predominantly directed to the ‘red lane’ (intensive inspection) during Customs checks. James admitted he had raised this issue with Orlando.
“As stated in the witness’s BAP, regarding the red and green lanes received by your company in Jakarta and Semarang in 2024, essentially 90 percent were red and 10 percent were green; in 2025, 70 percent were red and 30 percent were green. There were many findings in your company. Did you mention this during your meeting, knowing that Mr. Orlando, as the Intelligence Section Head, would be aware?” asked the prosecutor.
“Yes, he knew,” James replied.
He admitted to questioning why his company’s goods were being delayed, noting that the situation was hindering his business.
“I essentially wanted to know where this was heading, why so many incoming goods were being obstructed because they were sending various teams for inspections, making the process slower,” said James.
Previously, three officials from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance were indicted for allegedly receiving bribes and gratifications totalling Rp 78.8 billion. Prosecutors stated that the bribes and gratifications were received in the form of Indonesian Rupiah and foreign currencies.
The indictment hearing was held at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Friday (3/7/2026). The three Customs officials are Rizal, Director of Enforcement and Investigation; Sisprian Subiaksono, Head of the Intelligence Sub-directorate of Enforcement and Investigation; and Orlando Hamonangan, Head of Customs Intelligence Section I of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants received funds amounting to Rp 61.7 billion and entertainment facilities worth Rp 1.8 billion. These were provided by John Field, leader of Blueray Cargo (Group); Dedy Kurniawan Sukolo, Operational Manager of Custom Clearance at Blueray Cargo (Group); and Andri, Head of the Importation Documents Team at Blueray Cargo (Group).
“They have participated in several interconnected criminal acts, constituting a continuous offence, by receiving gifts or promises, specifically receiving gifts in the form of money totalling Rp 61,743,597,000 in Singapore Dollars (SGD), as well as entertainment facilities and luxury goods valued at Rp 1,846,221,515, or at least that amount,” stated KPK prosecutor M. Takdir Suhan while reading the indictment.