TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Businessman receives three years for bribery

Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, April 17, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Businessman receives three years for bribery Businessman Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair (left) speaks to his attorney Monday, after the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced him to three years in prison for bribery. (JP/Safrin La Batu)

T

he Jakarta Corruption Court has handed down a three-year prison sentence and a Rp 200-million (US$15,082) fine to businessman Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair for bribing a tax official to help settle his company's tax problems.

The court said Monday that Nair was guilty of giving Handang Soekarno, a high-ranking tax official, Rp 1.9 billion in November as a down payment for an agreed bribe totaling Rp 6 billion.

"The defendant was found guilty of committing a crime as charged, and the court has not seen any factors that can condone his action," presiding judge Jhon Halasan Butar Butar said, reading from the verdict.

(Read also: KPK zooms in on role of Jokowi’s brother-in-law in bribery case

Nair said he would think about the court's verdict for several days.

Nair had conveyed his defense last week, saying a notification from the tax office last year that his company had tax dues amounting to Rp 75 billion had left him in total confusion, forcing him to find individuals who could help him settle the issue.

Nair, who is the country director of PT EK Prima Ekspor Indonesia, a local unit of Abu-Dhabu-based retail giant LuLu Group International, contacted his business partner Arif Budi Sulistyo to help him out. The latter then reportedly contacted Handang to figure out ways to help Nair.

Arif is a brother-in-law of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He was presented in a previous hearing as a witness.

Handang is on trial in a separate hearing.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.