Thekabarnews.com—Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is considering expanding its investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving import clearance. This comes after new court testimony pointed to suspected payments of Rp30 billion ($2 million) to an employee of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC).

The claim came as the corruption trial of John Field, president and director of PT Blueray Cargo Group, was underway. He is accused of bribery in the processing of imported goods.

“John Field made payments totaling around Rp91 billion to help expedite imports and influence customs clearance procedures,” prosecutors said in testimony presented during the proceedings, according to local media.

The alleged scheme involved manipulation of customs inspection channels popularly known as the “red lane” and “green lane.” These lanes determine the level of inspection imported goods receive upon entering Indonesia.

Testimony in the trial referred to alleged payments of some Rp30 billion to a customs official named Ahmad Dedi, alias Dedi Congor.

Reacting to the testimony, KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said investigators would study any evidence submitted in the court process thoroughly. As a result, they will determine whether further investigative steps are necessary.

He stressed that information disclosed during the trial could provide investigators with additional clues. Therefore, the evidence may help them identify other individuals who may have had significant involvement in the alleged corruption scheme.

“We will investigate thoroughly the parties that allegedly played a role and gained from the manipulation of the import procedures,” Budi said.

The testimony emerged during sentencing hearings at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday, June 22.

Prosecutors are demanding three years in prison and a fine of Rp300 million from John Field.

The prosecution said the relatively lenient sentence was a reflection of the defendant’s cooperation during the investigation.

John Field had been a whistleblower, handing over financial records from his company. He also helped investigators identify more people allegedly involved in the bribery network. This was according to KPK prosecutor Takdir Suhan.

Documents submitted during the investigation showed references to several people identified by code and internal records, prosecutors said.

One was the code “BC1,” which prosecutors said could be a senior Customs official. Prosecutors said several other Customs officials are named but remain under investigation for their role.

Authorities have not identified any other suspects based on the latest testimony. Furthermore, investigators continue to scrutinize the evidence presented in court proceedings.

Meanwhile, prosecutors also demanded two years and six months’ imprisonment for two employees of PT Blueray Cargo Group. These two individuals were tried together with John Field.

The case has drawn public attention as it exposes alleged weaknesses in Indonesia’s import supervision system. It also raises wider concerns about transparency and accountability in customs administration.

“The investigation is still ongoing, and any extension of the case will be based on the evidence collected through the judicial process,” KPK said.

Indonesian law assumes that every defendant is innocent until proven guilty by a final and legally binding decision of a court of law.

Likewise, the law presumes any individuals whose names emerge during court proceedings to be innocent until prosecutors prove their guilt through due legal process and a court issues a final conviction.

As the trial progresses, investigators will likely consider whether the courtroom testimony provides enough legal cause to launch other corruption probes. These probes could involve customs officials or others tied to the alleged bribery scheme.

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