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February 1, 2025 | 05:34 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Immigration and Corrections Affairs is investigating allegations of illegal levies imposed on Chinese citizens arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. The ministry is working to identify those involved.
Agus Andrianto, Minister of Immigration and Corrections Affairs, confirmed that all immigration officials at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Immigration Office have been temporarily removed from their posts. "I have recalled all of them and they are currently undergoing an examination," Agus told Tempo on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Tempo obtained information that one of the officials reassigned is Arfa Yudha Indriawan, the Head of Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Division (Inteldakim) at the Class I Special Immigration Office TPI Soekarno-Hatta.
Through a letter of assignment, number W.10-KP.04.01-4149 of 2024, signed by R. Andika Dwi Prasetya, Head of the Jakarta Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, dated October 29, 2024, Arfa has been suspended from duty and is currently undergoing training at the Jakarta Regional Office.
Minister Agus confirmed this information. "I have recalled all of them and they are currently undergoing an internal investigation," he said.
Previously, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Indonesia sent a letter to the Directorate General of Protocol and Consular Affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections Affairs, and the Directorate General of Asia Pacific and Africa Affairs.
The letter, dated January 21, 2025, stated that several Chinese citizens had been extorted by immigration officers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which was referred to as Jakarta International Airport in the letter.
The letter included a list of alleged extortion cases that occurred between February 2024 and January 2025, according to a document obtained by Tempo. "This is just the tip of the iceberg because more Chinese nationals were extorted without submitting complaints due to tight schedules or fear of retaliation upon entering in the future," the letter stated.
The Chinese Embassy also expressed its appreciation to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Last year, with the assistance of the Honorable Ministry of Consular Affairs, the Chinese Embassy established close contact and coordination with the Jakarta International Airport Immigration Office," it wrote.
The letter detailed at least 44 alleged extortion cases. It also stated that a total of Rp32,750,000 had been refunded to more than 60 Chinese citizens as a result of these cases.
In the letter, the Chinese Embassy provided an example of an alleged extortion case at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in 2024-2025. It named an immigration officer, identified by the initials DAS, who was allegedly involved in extortion, with evidence of bank transfers. The amount refunded was Rp1,600,000. The passenger's name was Zhao Qiu, with flight number MF868, arriving at Jakarta International Airport on February 20, 2024, at 6:00 a.m. The letter mentioned 43 other passengers from various flights who were also allegedly affected.
Ayu Cipta contributed to the writing of this article.
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