Customs Officials in KPK Crosshairs

[rabbit_39]

Ben and Ary were detained in KPK detention centers after being interrigated by investigators. "For the need for investigation, the team detained their respective suspects for the first 20 days," said Johanis Tanak during a press conference yesterday at the KPK Building.

So 20 days to negotiate the guilt of the couple?

 

[pantaiema]

The detention of the regent Ben Brahim S Bahat and his wife Ary Egahni is currently hot in the news. Ben has been the Regent of Kapuas for two periods. His wife Ary had become a member of the DPR RI Nasdem Party Faction.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the KPK Johanis Tanak, both of them became suspects in the alleged corruption case of the Kapuas Regency Regional Work Units (SKPD) in Central Kalimantan. The amount mentioned is 8,7 billion rupiah.

Ben and Ary were kept in the KPK detention center after being interrogated by investigators. "For the need for investigation, the team detained their respective suspects for the first 20 days," said Johanis Tanak during a press conference yesterday at the KPK Building.

In good times….

And bad…

View attachment 2877
(Did he get a hair transplant?)

Interesting article summing up corrupt couples….

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/20...-ditahan-kpk-ini-deretan-pasutri-yang-korupsi.

I speak high to the current government in combatting corruption. It is still far from perfect but at least the current government and President have revealed, tried, prosecuted, put people in jail more than his predecessors Combined. Keep in mind the high profile graft case such as Bank Bali scandal, BLBI case, Century Bank, Jiwasraya, ASABRI are inherited from the previous regimes. Many of the graft cases are brought to justice might be because of the contribution of civil societies, more freedom in press, the role of social medias, the emerging of NGOs such as ICW, MAKI, etc to reveal those cases. During Suharto regime, he would go to the bottom of such organisations and destroyed all of them from the roots if it would need to protect his own families, inner cycles, and his cronies.
When it is already embedded like a sub-culture, it will need a lot of strong people (not just a few), ruling with iron fists for multiple terms supported by legislative, executive powers who themselves are not corrupt. Corruption and religious extremisms are the main enemies of this country.

You might think the most corrupt countries in the world have been African countries ? During Suharto regime Indonesia was either the most corrupt country (Yes no1, sitting on the top) or within top ten the most corrupt countries in the world. I have posted the link above. This documentary about Suharto regime.

 

[jstar]

Hmm, not so sure about that. The KPK, although not powerless, has lost a lot of maneuvering space and it much more limited as before. So the days of arresting a governor or regent or mayor or committee member every week are gone. That organization has not been properly defended by the current government (don’t forget it was from the SBY era) against self-protection by the DPR (House of Representatives).

 

[Ruserious]

Seems like a sudden rise in corruption cases and a general clampdown. I know part of this is due to the increase in "citizen investigations" and online shaming through social media but part of me also wonders if this is just standard practice in the buildup to an election. Helps popularity and gets rid of some opposition.

 

[gemima]

(Did he get a hair transplant?)

He most definitely has had one - I flew through Istanbul during my xmas break and I've never seen the like, 1000s of men all over the airport with their heads freshly done. On my flight back to Jakarta 3 Indonesian men (that I saw) had just undergone the procedure. All with extended family in tow. Wonder if any of them were tax officials lol

 

[snpark]

British flights full of Hollywood cheesy grins big teeth
Asia full of bald men with blood polka dot heads

 

[jstar]

We‘re replacing the well with a connection to the water infrastructure for a house in Bali. It has been hell to have that installed by the water company PAM, their internal SOP’s say within 3 working days but who knows.

I guess we didn’t pay enough to add to his 23 billion.

Mantan Kepala UPTD PAM PUPRKim Bali jadi tersangka korupsi Rp23 M

Kejaksaan Tinggi Bali menetapkan mantan kepala Unit Pelaksana Teknis Daerah (UPTD) Perusahaan Air Minum (PAM) Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Penataan Ruang ...

www.antaranews.com

 

[jstar]

Translation of regional regulation for government employees (PNS):

The salary components of civil servants are: Basic salary, Family Allowance, Position Allowance/Certain Functional Allowance/General Functional Allowance, Rice Allowance and PPh Allowance Article 21.

The basic salary amount has been determined in the salary table, adjusted to the work process and the group. For example, a Civil Servant Group III/a with a working period of 7 years, the amount of basic salary is 2,696,200. For Civil Servants Group III/b with a working period of 12 years, the amount of basic salary according to the salary table is 3,84.200.

Family Allowance, for civil servants who are married, husband/wife allowance and child allowance (maximum 2 children) whose amount is 10% and 2% of the basic salary, respectively.

Position/structural allowances are given to civil servants who head an organizational unit or lead a work unit. The amount of job allowance for Echelon 4A is 540,000, Echelon 3B 980,000, Echelon 3A 1,260,000 and Echelon 2B 2,025,000 and so on.

Certain Functional Allowances are given to a group of positions that contain functions and tasks related to functional services based on certain skills and skills (there are 42 types of functional positions), for example, education personnel, health workers, archivist and others. The amount of allowance is different for each position, distinguished based on expertise and expertise, and given based on the appointment decision of the authorized official. For example, for teachers with group IV, the amount of allowance is 389,000.00, for nurses the amount of allowance is 850,000.00.

General Functional Allowance is given to civil servants who do not receive position/structural allowances or certain functional allowances. The amount of allowances for groups I, II, III and IV are 175,000, 180,000, 185,000, and 190,000 respectively.

Rice allowance is given to officials and their families in the form of money as much as 10 kg/person, and the price of rice is currently set at 7,242.00 per kilogram. For a husband/wife and 2 children, the amount of the rice allowance is 289,680.00 (4 souls x 10 x 7,242.00).

Tax deduction…. etc.

Something I forgot to mention is the discount on the land tax that Anies implemented for governmental employees (incl. teachers). Well it’s more a remission.

Land and building tax (Pajak Bumi dan Bangunan/PBB) is a tax on property chargeable on all land and/or buildings. It is a regional tax so the local administration has freedom to decide on the regulations.

Normally it is 0.3% of the NJOP (the official value of the property) or so. So if you have a house of 5 billion, it would already be 15 million per year. Not bad, a present of $1,000. Also, the widow(er)s of civil servants can still benefit from the exemption.

.

 

[jstar]

This is a bit of an awkward story:

According to a Taiwanese citizen, he was blackmailed by Customs officers when visiting Bali last weekend. The tourist had taken pictures to warn a pickup driver he had arrived. But he was picked up, taken to a dark room (?) and told it was not allowed.

Initially, he was asked to pay a fine of 60 juta ($4,000). He pretended he didn't have money and after some negotiating and since “he committed his first violation”, finally he was asked to pay 4 juta.

Head of the Subdirectorate of Public Relations and Customs Counseling, Hatta Wardhana, emphasized that taking photos in airport limited areas regulated by Permenhub regulation No. PM 80/2017 is not part of the authority of Customs. Hatta wrote today that the authority to carry out repatriation is also not the authority of Customs. They will investigate further.

So normally it must have been in an Imigrasi controlled area, not Customs of course. So it could have been an Imigrasi officer. Unless a rogue Customs officer pretended and just lied about the location. Obviously in many countries and languages the nomenclature for customs, border control and immigration covers the same.

 

[Samoerai]

In the Telegraaf, a newspaper in The Netherlands, 23 march 2023:

Indonesians have unleashed an online witch hunt against government officials who live well above their modest salary.

The reason is a severe assault by the son of an official of the tax authorities in Jakarta, who was heavily criticized for the lavish lifestyle of the family. The official, Rafael Alun Trisambodo, was recently fired. It turned out that he had hidden his assets and paid no taxes himself.

Then it was his colleague's turn in Makassar. Images appeared on social media of his mansion in Jakarta and his daughter who goes on sweet trips abroad and wears expensive designer clothes.

The Indonesians are ruthless in their naming and shaming of anyone who is suspiciously rich. It is proving an increasingly effective tool for exposing the illegal or unethical actions of officials.

An Indonesian who had just won a singing competition in Japan was asked at customs to pay almost half a month's salary in exchange for the large trophy she had received. She had the trophy shipped to Indonesia because it could not be taken on her flight.

“They asked me to show a video of the TV show. Then they told me to sing to prove I can sing," she tweeted. The singer applied for an exemption for the trophy, which she eventually won without costs.

There are even more suspiciously wealthy officials in the firing line whose wives are sporting plenty of designer bags and bling. And the government's message to them is that they should avoid flaunting their wealth in public.

Apa sih?

 

[snpark]

The irony then was that guy had a choice - admit he had screwed his country by stealing, or by lying and pretending that all the stuff he bought his wife was FAKE hahahahaa that's even worse, imagine going home to a wife you just ashamed in front of 300 million people, all her rich socialite friends laughing at her

And the day before seen in Pasar Manga Chinatown buying a load of knock off bags and watches for your press conference the next day - when everyone could see the bags he showed did not even match the ones she used
Hey my secretary, here is 20jt, quickly run to the mall and buy a load of fake stuff the same as my wife has
Reminds me of the police guy wearing the $200k Richard Mille watch "oh this old thing, its a fake" Hhhhmmm so breaking the law then? Counterfeit goods etc

 

[Samoerai]

all the stuff he bought his wife was FAKE hahahahaa that's even worse, imagine going home to a wife you just ashamed in front of 300 million people, all her rich socialite friends laughing at her

His happy life is over ... one way or the other.

 

[jstar]

Hhhhmmm so breaking the law then? Counterfeit goods etc

As long as it’s not alcohol in combination with the Ramadan period they don’t care over here…

 

[fastpitch17]

"And the government's message to them is that they should avoid flaunting their wealth in public"

 This is the exact message the president issued. Not that we are going to get you or anything like that. Only to not be noticed when breaking the law.

 

[jstar]

The tourist had taken pictures to warn a pickup driver he had arrived. But he was picked up, taken to a dark room (?) and told it was not allowed.

Initially, he was asked to pay a fine of 60 juta ($4,000). He pretended he didn't have money and after some negotiating and since “he committed his first violation”, finally he was asked to pay 4 juta.

A spokesperson from Angkasa Pura I, the BUMN responsible for the airports, confirmed that there are a number of areas at the airports that are prohibited from taking pictures. According to him, the regulation* has been set by the Minister of Transportation since 2020.

There are no special sanctions. If an airport service user takes a photo in the area, the officer will only have the person delete the picture that has been taken. According to Rahadian Yogisworo of Angkasa Pura.

* The decree Number KM 211 of 2020 of the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia concerning the National Aviation Program, regulates the prohibition of taking pictures in certain places in Limited Security Areas. (That used to be PM 80 of 2017 concerning the National Aviation Safety Program.)

 

[gemima]

A spokesperson from Angkasa Pura I, the BUMN responsible for the airports, confirmed that there are a number of areas at the airports that are prohibited from taking pictures. According to him, the regulation* has been set by the Minister of Transportation since 2020.

There are no special sanctions. If an airport service user takes a photo in the area, the officer will only have the person delete the picture that has been taken. According to Rahadian Yogisworo of Angkasa Pura.

* The decree Number KM 211 of 2020 of the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia concerning the National Aviation Program, regulates the prohibition of taking pictures in certain places in Limited Security Areas. (That used to be PM 80 of 2017 concerning the National Aviation Safety Program.)

Its not the first time I heard this lately - I saw a western guy complain about the same scam on reddit (the bali forum), he paid them a fair amount of money because he sincerely thought he was going to be deported. I think he was too scared to even report it to authorities and was just venting online. They need to sort that out asap.

 

[jstar]

Yes, they must have found a new money maker. Next to inventing ‘home quarantine’ for pets and making deals about containers with household goods. And those are only the small fish, pocket change.

Customs is rather messy everywhere it seems. Recently there was a major action against customs fraud in goods traffic from China at the Belgian Liège airport. So for instance the AliExpress stuff everybody orders online. They talk about missing out on half a billion euro sales tax (VAT) and customs duties.

 

[snpark]

In fairness it's common sense when it says no phones allowed and you see idiots not just making calls but filming themselves live "arriving" and including the immigration office also in the video.
Doing stupid things like that or saying "it's not a bomb" etc at check in and you obviously open yourself up to get collared for something

Act professionally and with manners (hahaha) and be sensible and you never have a problem.
Same goes with everything you do while you are in that country.

I mean I'm European but I'd never go to the UK Westminster Abbey and drop my pants and shout "release my tiger ggggrrrr"

I mean it's farfetched but for decades everyone jokes "it's illegal to chew gum and spit in SG"
Why would you anyway?
Or walking round Dubai and telling Sheikh Mohammed you love his white dress and what does he wear underneath (a thin white cotton style sarong, not Calvin Klein's lol)

You get the gist

 

[jstar]

Of course people do stupid things. But to make up a system with fines? For me this intimidation and type of self-enrichment is worse than what traffic cops do.

 

[jstar]

Reihana Wijayanto, Head of the Lampung Provincial Health Office, is in the spotlight of netizens, not only because of her hairstyle and hijab, but mainly because of her flexing on social media.

Through TikTok and Instagram accounts, Reihana often uploads content showing off her luxurious lifestyle. As a result of the content, many people are curious about the salary and wealth of the Lampung Kadinkes (Kepala Dinas Kesehatan).

Reihana often posts content that shows her wearing branded items worth hundreds of millions, such as bags, clothes, and luxury rings. One of the items he showed off was the Hermes Birkin 40 Togo Rouge Tomate bag worth 200 million rupiah.

The salary received by Reihana is estimated to be around 3,5 juta - 5,6 juta excluding allowances. Her possessions would add up to 2,7 billion rupiah.