Chairman of Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), Sugeng Teguh Santoso

progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – Chairman of Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), Sugeng Teguh Santoso, has called for transparency in the law enforcement process concerning alleged violations involving 1.048 tons of imported shrimp in East Java. This demand follows an intervention by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) on September 22, 2026, which estimated potential state losses to be as high as Rp405,8 billion.

“This case allegedly involves two major corporations under the same ownership: PT Baramuda Bahari and PT Megamarine Pride. Imported shrimp—which were intended solely for handling and subsequent re-export—are strongly suspected to have leaked into and flooded the domestic market,” stated Sugeng Teguh Santoso in a written release on Saturday, October 31, 2026.

According to Sugeng, the leakage of these imported goods into the domestic market has not only resulted in state financial losses amounting to hundreds of billions of rupiah but has also severely undermined market prices and the livelihoods of local shrimp farmers.

Furthermore, Sugeng indicated that a whistleblower has filed an official public complaint with the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP), the Polri’s Anti-Corruption Task Force (Kortastipidkor), and the Attorney General’s Office.

“The complaint outlines indications of long-standing tax-related criminal offenses and money laundering,” he explained.

Based on an analysis conducted by Sugeng and the IPW, the modus operandi behind these tax-related crimes and money laundering activities has been identified. These actions include creating fictitious debts to evade tax obligations and employing cash-based transaction schemes to circumvent financial reporting requirements.

“This track record of non-compliance is nothing new. IPW has received information that the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) in East Java had previously detected signs of tax non-compliance by PT Mega Marine Pride around 2020, which led to a formal request for clarification regarding data and/or information (P2DK).

Nevertheless, these practices persisted, ultimately resulting in the massive state losses seen today,” he stated.

In response to this, IPW has urgently put forward three key demands:

1. It urges the Director General of Taxes, the National Police’s Corruption Crimes Investigation Directorate (Kortastipidkor), the Attorney General’s Office, and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to conduct a thorough investigation into the public complaints that have been filed.
2. It calls for an objective, comprehensive investigation and examination, including an audit of the financial statements of the company and all affiliated entities.
3. It demands the imposition of strict legal sanctions should it be legally proven that violations were committed by the corporation or its beneficial owners.(Bembo)