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Jakarta Post

Former taxman Gayus to serve 30 years in prison

Gayus H

Nadya Natahadibrata (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, August 3, 2013

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Former taxman Gayus to serve 30 years in prison Gayus H. Tambunan: (JP/Ricky Yudhistira) (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

Gayus H. Tambunan: (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of former tax officer Gayus H. Tambunan, whose tax fraud crimes, escape attempt in March 2010 and bizarre act to get out of jail just to watch an international tennis tournament in Bali startled the nation a few years ago.

The junior taxman, who has been tried for multiple charges ranging from bribing law enforcers to falsifying passports, received total prison sentence of 30 years, following the appeal rejection. He is serving his sentence in Sukamiskin prison in Bandung, where he has reportedly bought a house to enable his wife and children to remain close to him.

The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it had upheld the lower court'€™s verdict that he was guilty of gratification and money laundering and sentenced him to eight years in prison.

'€œ[The Supreme Court] rejects the appeal by Gayus Tambunan,'€ wrote the Supreme Court on its website on Friday.

The verdict had been announced on March 26, yet it had only been made available to the public on Friday.

On March last year, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Gayus to six years in prison and ordered him to pay Rp 1 billion (US$100,000) in fines or serve a further four months in jail.

The notorious Gayus, also known as a family man, was found guilty of accepting Rp 925 million in bribes from tax consultant Robertus Santonius to influence Gayus'€™ assessment of a tax objection filed by PT Metropolitan Retailmart.

He was also found guilty of failing to report gratuities that he accepted in handling cases involving the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as well as violating the Money Laundering Law, as he secreted a fortune with several financial service providers to avoid arousing the suspicions of law-enforcement agencies.

Gayus opened several bank accounts and rented safety-deposit boxes under his own name, using different identities and in his wife Milana Anggraeni'€™s name. The police found 31 gold bars in one deposit box, which was registered to his wife.

The Jakarta High Court later increased his verdict to eight years in prison following the appeal.

In October 2011, Gayus was sentenced to two years in prison for passport forgery by the Tangerang Court.

In July 2011, the South Jakarta Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, for 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 bank account; and issuing inaccurate judgments on tax objections filed by PT Surya Alam Tunggal.

Gayus was also sentenced to eight years imprisonment for tax embezzlement earlier in 2011.

University of Indonesia law expert Ganjar Laksmana said on Friday that Gayus would have to serve the cumulative indictment of 30 years imprisonment, because the lawsuits were tried in four different trials.

'€œThe state actually does not acknowledge the cumulative indictment concept. Based on the Criminal Code, the crimes should all be tried in one trial. This concept should be applied in Gayus'€™ case as well,'€ Ganjar told The Jakarta Post.

'€œHowever, since the crimes were tried in four different trials, Gayus would have to serve all of the sentences, which cumulatively amounts 30 years,'€ he added.

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