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)