President Jokowi: Illegal Imports Have Been Restricted

President Joko Widodo witnessed the results of operation against illegal textiles imports conducted by Directorate General of Customs and Excise, at the office of customs and excise, Jakarta, on Friday (16/10)

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo said that he has already ordered the Directorate General of Customs and Excise to investigate illegal imports.

This order, the President added, has been executed properly and activities from those who performed illegal import has been restricted.

“My instruction to Directorate General of Customs and Excise to investigate illegal imports has  already been implemented. The practice must be eradicated,” the President said in his Twitter account @jokowi on Friday (16/10) evening.

In the meantime, through his Facebook fanpage, President Jokowi said that the rest is about the law enforcement that must be upheld immediately.

“I’ve already instructed the National Police Chief and the Attorney General to support Directorate General of Customs and Excise in eradicating illegal imports mafia,” the President firmly said.

According to the President, illegal imports do not pay for customs and tax, and they also make national industries became less competitive.

Previously on Friday (16/10), the President, accompanied by several officials, observed legal action on containers filled with illegal textiles in bonded areas that have been secured by Directorate General of Customs and Excise on Friday (16/10), at the headquarter of Directorate General of Customs and Excise on Jalan Ahmad Yani, East Jakarta.

“By following up the complaints of textiles entrepreneurs, Director General of Customs and Excise has secured illegal textiles imports worth USD 1.028 million or Rp. 14 billion. The State also suffers from financial losses because they did not pay the customs amounting to Rp 2.3 billion. I am glad that my order is being executed today,” President Jokowi  said to the reporters during the seizure.

Meanwhile, Directorate General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi explained that efforts to fail illegal textile import is an evidence of the President’s instruction to related ministries and institutions involved in the eradication of illegal import goods and to boost investment in domestic industries.

“The main modus that is usually used is by unloading import goods outside PT KYH bonded area (located in Marunda warehousing, North Jakarta) and sending them to other locations and finally selling it to last buyers without paying customs and taxes on imports,” Heru said.

According to Heru, imported goods that were smuggled by a suspect with the initials AI are fabrics with the amount of 3,519 rolls/376,000 yards worth USD 1,028,000 and it caused the State suffers from Rp 2,212,481,000,000 in financial losses.                    (ES) (RAS/EP/YM-Naster/Sy)