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Ex-taxman Rafael gets 14 years in prison for corruption, money laundering
The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Rafael Alun Trisambodo on Monday to 14 years in prison for corruption and money laundering involving billions of rupiah over the past two decades during his stint as a tax official.
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Facing justice: Defendant and former tax officer Rafael Alun Trisambodo attends a hearing on Oct. 23, 2023, at the Jakarta Corruption Court. The court heard the testimony of seven witnesses in the gratuity and money laundering case involving Rafael. (Antara/Donny Aditra)
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he Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Rafael Alun Trisambodo on Monday to 14 years in prison for corruption and money laundering involving billions of rupiah during his stint as a tax official.
The panel of judges found Rafael guilty of money laundering and accepting unlawful gratuities worth Rp 10 billion (US$ 64,4031) from taxpayers through a tax-consulting firm from 2002 to 2006, as well as of accepting other gratuities worth Rp 47 billion related to his position as a taxman.
“Being guilty of all three counts makes him liable for [the prison] sentence,” said presiding judge Suparman Nyompa when reading out the sentence in a televised trial on Monday.
The judges said Rafael had been recommending, for a fee, a tax-consulting firm his wife owned, PT Artha Mega Ekadhana, to taxpayers who were being audited. The company, as reported by Kompas.id, was established in 2002 and operated until 2005.
The court also ordered him to pay Rp 500 million (US$32,195) in fines, or serve an additional three months in prison, and to pay Rp 10 billion in restitution fees.
The prison sentence was largely in line with the prosecution’s demands although the court ordered Rafael to pay fines and restitution fees lower than those sought by the prosecutors.
The judges cited as mitigating factors the fact that his crimes undermined the government’s corruption eradication efforts as aggravating circumstances, that he had not previously been found guilty of a crime and that he has a family.
