House Suspects Massive Gold Bullion Smuggling Scheme

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A member of the House's Law Commission of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Faction, Arteria Dahlan, in a work meeting on Monday urged the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to investigate an alleged smuggling of gold bullion from Singapore to Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

Citing Tempo Magazine, he argued that the illegal gold trafficking involved manipulating the official certification of the gold itself that would enable it to bypass five percent of import taxes and 2.5 percent of import income taxes. The legislator said this data manipulation could lead to Rp2.9 trillion in state losses.

“There is a thief in broad daylight here,” Dahlan said on June 14. 

Dahlan personally asked Attorney General Sianitar Burhanuddin to investigate the perpetrators, both individuals and corporations. 

He recalled summoning the leaders of state-owned mining firm PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), saying the same must be done to private sector companies working in the industry to help explain the situation. 

Tempo Magazine (June 14-21 Edition) highlighted this issue and alleged that the illegal practice had occured since 2019, which first started from the finding based on the routine analysis of the Directorate of Enforcement and Investigation. 

Sourcing data from the Globe Trade Atlas and Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the authorities found discrepancies in the data on gold bullion between Singapore and Indonesian customs officers. Read the in-depth reporting in the latest Tempo Magazine edition. 

Read: Antam Gold Drops as Prices Climb in Global Markets

HUSSEIN ABRI