Gayus set for sentence demand in second graft trial

Prosecutors are scheduled to read out their sentence demand against Gayus Tambunan, a former tax official and now graft convict, concerning a separate graft case at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday at 1 p.m.

“He [Gayus] said he is ready for [the sentence demand] today,” Dion Pongkor, one of Gayus’ lawyers, said on Thursday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

In their indictment, prosecutors have charged Gayus (who has been dubbed a member of the tax mafia) with committed four corruption crimes including accepting gratuities from three companies, and bribing a prison warden and officers at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, in return for permission to travel both to Bali and abroad.

Dion insisted that Gayus was innocent of all the charges laid against him because the prosecution evidence submitted before the court did not support the indictment against him.

“The evidence that has been presented by the prosecutors is weak and does not support their indictment,” he said.

Gayus is currently serving a 10-year prison term after being found guilty of bribing judge Muhtadi Asnun and police officer Comr. Arafat Enanie; conspiring with businessman Andi Kosasih to draw up a fake agreement to unfreeze Gayus’ Rp 28 billion (US$3.05 million) bank account; and issuing inaccurate judgments on tax objections filed by PT Surya Alam Tunggal. (awd)