Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has pledged to launch a sweeping cleanup operation targeting mafia networks within the Directorate General of Taxes and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise under the Ministry of Finance.
Speaking during a Metro TV talk show titled “One Year of the Prabowo–Gibran Administration,” Purbaya said he would personally oversee the crackdown, on Friday, October 17, 2025.
“If the real sector is protected and smuggled goods are cut off, I’ll go after those behind the smuggling. There will soon be massive arrests. I don’t care who’s behind them. Behind me is the President — the highest authority here,” he declared.
Purbaya said the anti-smuggling operation would begin with several key sectors, including cigarettes, textiles, and steel products, before expanding further. “I will go after them one by one,” he asserted.
He explained that curbing smuggling in these industries would not only boost tax revenues but also revitalize domestic manufacturing. “A lot of smuggled goods are entering the country, and I’ve heard that some customs officers aren’t doing their jobs properly,” Purbaya said.
He also revealed that he had summoned Customs and Excise officials and discovered that certain individuals were backing the smuggling operations from behind the scenes.
“My Director General of Customs holds a three-star rank — if the one backing them is a four-star, we’ll report it to the President,” he stated firmly.
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