Police on Friday declared a tax official who was found with Rp 25 billion ($2.75 million) in his personal bank accounts a suspect in a case of obstruction of justice — just days after the suspect fled the country, leaving behind many red-faced investigators.
The change of heart on declaring Gayus Tambunan, 30, a suspect came two days after he fled to Singapore, which has no extradition treaty with Indonesia and has been a frequent haven for the country’s white-collar criminals.
During a telephone interview earlier in the week, Gayus told an Indonesian television news program that he was already in Singapore. An immigration official on Friday confirmed that Gayus had left the country on Wednesday, bound for the city-state.
Gayus is also the subject of allegations by Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, the National Police’s former chief detective, who says Gayus bribed senior police officials to stop investigating a case. As a result of his allegations, however, police this week declared Susno a suspect in a defamation case for implicating two police generals in the scandal.
National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistyo Ishak said Andi Kosasih, a businessman from Batam whom Gayus said was the actual owner of the bulk of the money found in his accounts, was also declared a suspect.
Sulistyo alleged that both men gave false testimony to the police and the court. He said they could each face up to seven years in prison.
On Friday, Andi surrendered to police.
Susno has told the presidential Judicial Mafia Elimination Task Force that several of his former subordinates had received bribes from Gayus in return for halting an investigation into source of the money in his account.
Gayus had been charged with embezzlement in relation to the Rp 25 billion in his accounts, but was acquitted by the Tangerang District Court in Banten.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin Andi Tumpa said the court would examine Gayus’s acquittal and question the judges involved in the case.
The Judicial Commission, which monitors the performance of judges, visited the Tangerang court on Friday to interview the judges involved.
“The curtains concealing this case must be fully pulled back,” commission chairman Busyro Muqoddas said after the visit.
The Attorney General’s Office pledged to speed up an internal inquiry into the prosecutors that handled Gayus’s initial case, with results expected by Tuesday at the latest. The prosecution was under fire for ignoring initial charges of money laundering and corruption filed by the police.
Sulistyo said the police had formed an independent team to evaluate the earlier investigation of Gayus.
“We noticed several irregularities only after the court reached a verdict,” he said.
Maroloan Barimbing, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, said Gayus was able to leave the country on Wednesday because the police had failed to issue a travel ban against him.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that if Gayus was in Singapore, an extradition agreement was still possible.
“For a special case such as with financial crimes, extradition is possible based on a good understanding between the two countries,” he said.
The change of heart on declaring Gayus Tambunan, 30, a suspect came two days after he fled to Singapore, which has no extradition treaty with Indonesia and has been a frequent haven for the country’s white-collar criminals.
During a telephone interview earlier in the week, Gayus told an Indonesian television news program that he was already in Singapore. An immigration official on Friday confirmed that Gayus had left the country on Wednesday, bound for the city-state.
Gayus is also the subject of allegations by Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, the National Police’s former chief detective, who says Gayus bribed senior police officials to stop investigating a case. As a result of his allegations, however, police this week declared Susno a suspect in a defamation case for implicating two police generals in the scandal.
National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistyo Ishak said Andi Kosasih, a businessman from Batam whom Gayus said was the actual owner of the bulk of the money found in his accounts, was also declared a suspect.
Sulistyo alleged that both men gave false testimony to the police and the court. He said they could each face up to seven years in prison.
On Friday, Andi surrendered to police.
Susno has told the presidential Judicial Mafia Elimination Task Force that several of his former subordinates had received bribes from Gayus in return for halting an investigation into source of the money in his account.
Gayus had been charged with embezzlement in relation to the Rp 25 billion in his accounts, but was acquitted by the Tangerang District Court in Banten.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin Andi Tumpa said the court would examine Gayus’s acquittal and question the judges involved in the case.
The Judicial Commission, which monitors the performance of judges, visited the Tangerang court on Friday to interview the judges involved.
“The curtains concealing this case must be fully pulled back,” commission chairman Busyro Muqoddas said after the visit.
The Attorney General’s Office pledged to speed up an internal inquiry into the prosecutors that handled Gayus’s initial case, with results expected by Tuesday at the latest. The prosecution was under fire for ignoring initial charges of money laundering and corruption filed by the police.
Sulistyo said the police had formed an independent team to evaluate the earlier investigation of Gayus.
“We noticed several irregularities only after the court reached a verdict,” he said.
Maroloan Barimbing, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, said Gayus was able to leave the country on Wednesday because the police had failed to issue a travel ban against him.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that if Gayus was in Singapore, an extradition agreement was still possible.
“For a special case such as with financial crimes, extradition is possible based on a good understanding between the two countries,” he said.
