National

President Asks for Immigration Officers to be Investigated
Tuesday, 20 December, 2005 | 10:25 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has requested that Directorate-General for Immigration Affairs be investigated thoroughly.

This order is related to findings that the immigration office has committed acts of embezzlement in conducting its duties both within Indonesia and abroad.

“From current reports, the government has concluded that serious acts of embezzlement have taken place in the immigration office. This could lead to further problems in the future so the situation must be managed properly,” said Yudhoyono in a press conference on Monday (19/12) following a special meeting regarding this matter.

The immigration office has committed several acts of embezzlement involving security matters including the monitoring of the traffic of people entering and exiting Indonesia.

These also involve the gathering of fiscal taxes, passport financing and the misuse of immigration administration that threaten the security of state assets or further embezzlement in public services.
President Yudhoyono said that he had already received a report regarding illegal levies at the immigration office in Penang, Malaysia.

This alone has resulted in the state suffering financial losses amounting to Rp12 billion.
Similar activties in the immigration office at Kuala Lumpur has resulted in losses to the state totaling Rp26 billion losses.

The President has also received reports regarding Indonesian workers being charged illegal levies.

General Sutanto, National Chief of Police, said that so far the police had questioned five people allegedly involved in the embezzlement practices within the immigration office. (Sunariah-Tempo News Room)