Illegal Import Practices Revealed, Turns Out This Is How It Works

JAKARTA – Minister of Industry or Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita revealed, there are big companies that actually play Import Approval (PI) from the government. Information about illegal import Agus got this when talking with the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan.

Minister of Industry Agus explained that the mode used by the company was to play with the quota amount approved by the government. For example, the agreement impor which was set at 1 million pcs or tons, but what came in was 4 million pcs or tons.

“I heard a story from the Minister of Trade, that there was a large company that had an import agreement of 1 million, I don’t know the unit, 1 million units or tons. Tons? Tons. But in the field, it was found that with the same PI, they imported 4 million,” said Agus at the Ministry of Industry Office, Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, Friday (19/7/2024).

Agus felt disappointed with the big company. However, unfortunately he did not want to reveal the name of the company. “A big company. I was very, very surprised and actually disappointed with the company. Big, it’s a manufacturer too. Manufacturing,” he explained.

Not only that, the Minister of Industry also mentioned that there is another way that unscrupulous business actors do by utilizing the investment master list. Through this method, fraudulent players utilize the investment master list by entering goods for investment development facilities more than the amount reported.

“The master list provides convenience, this is often misused. For example, in the master list there is convenience for how many thousand tons of factory facilities. Well, using the master list, it falsifies more goods than what has been determined, sold to the market. Sold abroad,” he said.

He continued, that his party already knows the mode, but his party cannot do anything because they are not law enforcers. “We and the Ministry of Trade already know the mode and where it enters. But we are not law enforcers,” said Agus.

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