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Customs official of Semarang port arrested in illegal levy case
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Crackdown: Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto (third left), together with (right to left) National Police chief Gen.Tito Karnavian, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Attorney General Prasetyo, and the police’s general supervision inspectorate (Irwasum) chief, Comr.Gen. Dwi Priyatno, explains the establishment of a government-sanctioned anti-illegal levy task force, called Saber Pungli, in Jakarta on Oct. 21.
(Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
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span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#313534;letter-spacing:.1pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">In continuing its crackdown on the nationwide practice of charging illegal levies, National Police investigators arrested on Thursday evening a customs and excise official of Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java, for allegedly accepting bribes to ease import procedures at the province’s largest port.
The official, identified as JH, was arrested at a Semarang massage parlor by investigators from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) after he had allegedly asked a businessman, identified as EMKL, to pay up to Rp 50 million (US$3,700) to get the latter’s imports documents released.
“The businessman was asked to transfer the money to a bank account provided by JH,” Bareskrim’s extraordinary economic crimes director Brig. Gen. Agung Setya said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com.
The police also raided JH’s house shortly after his arrest, during which they confiscated several pieces of evidence, including a laptop and Rp 340 million in cash.
Earlier this month, a government-sanctioned task force arrested an executive with state-owned port operator PT Pelindo III for his alleged involvement in the persistent practice of charging illegal levies at local ports.
The anti-illegal levy task force, which works under the leadership of the National Police’s general supervision inspector (Irwasum), Comr. Gen. Dwi Priyatno, identified the executive as RS, who served as the firm’s operation and business development director. RS was arrested in his office at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java.
Tanjung Perak Port Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Takdir Matanette said members of the task force had also raided RS’s office, from which they confiscated Rp 600 million in cash and documents. (hwa)
