Businessman jailed for major tax fraud

Businessman jailed for major tax fraud

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced
Thariq Salim Abdul Azis, 47, to nine years in jail and fined him
Rp 30 million (US$13,636) for embezzling Rp 15 billion in tax
payments.

Judge Asmar Ismail, who presided over the trial, said that
Thariq was guilty of violating Article 1 of the Anti-Corruption
Law Number 3, issued in 1971, as well as Article 231 of the
Criminal Code.

The maximum penalty for violating the anti-corruption law is
20 years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 30 million.

"I decided to sentence Thariq Salim Abdul Azis to nine years
in jail and fine him Rp 30 million," Ismail said, saying that the
defendant had caused financial losses to the state.

The judge also decided to confiscate his 17 houses in Jakarta
and Bogor worth about Rp 14 billion.

Previously, state prosecutor Frits Piri demanded that the
judge sentence Thariq to 13 years in prison, fine him Rp 30
million and confiscate his 17 houses.

Thariq, the former director of PT Yansco Mediatama, PT Wardah
Bahagia and PT Zahrah Makmur, was charged for his activities from
May 1990 to May 1991. PT Yansco, PT Wardah and PT Zahrah are all
exporting companies.

During the one-year period, the defendant embezzled Rp 15
billion in tax restitutions for the three companies using
fictitious tax invoices.

The three companies had no export transactions with any other
firms as written in the invoices.

The defendant also falsified receipts from abroad to deceive
tax officials. (29)