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Analysis: Assault case leads to tax officials’ wealth probe
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani gives a statement concerning the judicial review of Law No. 11/2016 on Tax Amnesty at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta on September 20, 2016. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
M
ario Dandy Satrio, the son of a South Jakarta Tax Office official, has made a name for himself, albeit for the wrong reasons, after the South Jakarta Police arrested him and declared him a suspect in an assault case against the son of an executive of Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) youth wing, GP Ansor.
The crime was quick to go viral and sparked public outrage, not necessarily because of the severe injuries Mario had inflicted on teenager David Ozora but because of the findings of his father’s wealth, which Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati later said “doesn’t make sense”.
Mario’s father, Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a third-echelon official, declared assets worth Rp 56 billion in 2021, but failed to report his possession of a Rubicon jeep and a Harley Davidson bike, which Mario showed off on his social media accounts. This was not to mention a number of luxury houses in Jakarta’s upmarket areas of Kebayoran Baru and Simpruk in South Jakarta, as well as property in Yogyakarta and Manado, North Sulawesi.
As the public is questioning how Rafael accumulated his wealth beyond his financial profile as a civil servant, the assault case has now evoked public calls to boycott this year's income taxes. In fact, a number of tax officials have faced justice for graft over the last decade, despite reforms that made them the highest paid civil servants in the country.
Sri Mulyani has condemned the lavish lifestyle of her subordinates. She pledged to take tough disciplinary actions against any officials engaged in corruption. As if to show she means business, Sri Mulyani announced Rafael’s dismissal from his current post in an online press briefing. She said the decision was in line with the ministry’s code of conduct. Furthermore, a thorough investigation into Rafael’s wealth would continue.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said Rafael had reported his wealth since 2012. Mahfud added, however, that the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) had notified the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) regarding allegations of money laundering and the illegal process of obtaining assets involving Rafael. The red flag was not followed up because KPK did not consider it a priority back then.
The KPK has now concurred that Rafael’s wealth did not add up to his status as a third echelon official. The commission questioned Rafael to clarify his wealth on Wednesday, but no irregularities were reported.
