Garuda's Smuggling Scandal; Sri Mulyani Set to Fire More People
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20 December 2019 09:50 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati reportedly is set to alter the positions of officials within the customs and excise on Friday. Asked for confirmation about this, the ministry’s spokesperson, Nufransa Wira Sakti, neither denied nor confirmed it.
“I have yet been informed about who would be moved tomorrow,” said Nufransa to Tempo on Thursday night, Dec. 19. However, Nufransa confirmed that the position shuffle will happen in the Finance Ministry.
The removal of several state-officials is believed to be connected to the recent smuggling attempt done by a Garuda Indonesia official aboard a newly-delivered Airbus 300-900 in its inaugural flight to Indonesia a while ago.
According to Tempo’s sources, the Finance Ministry through customs and excise directorate-general will reshuffle the positions of official members.
“[The new officials] are hoped to be bold enough to investigate those who conspired in permitting the Garuda Neo to land at an area where it shouldn’t be, which is at the PLB GMF, without proper customs documents,” says Tempo’s source.
The smuggling of a complete unassembled vintage Harley Davidson and Brompton bicycle was previously revealed by Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s customs and excise on November 17. Investigations following that finding revealed the smuggler’s identity; Garuda Indonesia’s own president director, Ari Askhara.
CAESAR AKBAR