Law enforcers challenged to use Gayus Pandora box

House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie said the police could use graft suspect Gayus Tambunan’s rather unique position to unlock the Pandora's box of tax graft if they wanted.

He believed that Gayus held key information regarding many important yet powerful people who had allowed him to undertake such practices.

“In order to reveal those who have provided Gayus with the stage after all these years, the police should think outside the square. One possible way is to free Gayus from all charges, offer him full protection and in return ask Gayus to unveil the men behind him,” he told journalists Thursday.

He said freeing Gayus in return for proof and information might have a snowballing effect, meaning this measure could boost the country’s efforts in eradicating corruption, especially the allegation of graft in the taxation directorate general environment, which Marzuki described as, “One of the toughest walls to tear down”.

Previously, during the investigation process, the former tax official often testified that not only had he given the bulk of money to law enforcers, but had given bribes for his services to engineer the annual tax calculation of the large companies.

Gayus also mentioned that he had never received Rp 30 billion from companies owned by the Bakrie conglomerates, PT Bumi Resources, PT Arutmin and PT Kaltim Prima Coal for his services.

However this was denied by the companies’ representative, saying that it was baseless because the companies did not even recognize Gayus.