Eddy Tansil: The Legendary Fugitive of 30 Years Whose Assets Were Seized by the State

Eddy Tansil is recorded as one of the fugitives who has not been successfully apprehended for 30 years. His escape from Cipinang Penitentiary in 1996 was linked to a case that caused fantastic state financial losses due to a bad credit scandal at Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo). Eddy Tansil, owner of the Golden Key group, was implicated in a corruption case after obtaining credit from Bapindo amounting to US$430 million (approximately Rp1.3 trillion at the exchange rate of the time) through the opening of a Letter of Credit (L/C). The promised petrochemical plant construction project turned out to be fictitious, and the funds were misappropriated. In 1994, the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, a fine of Rp30 million, and an obligation to pay restitution of Rp500 billion. However, after serving only two years of his sentence, Eddy Tansil managed to escape mysteriously from prison. The Indonesian government, through the Attorney General’s Office, continues to pursue his assets. This step is taken as part of the strategy to recover state financial losses. The Asset Recovery Agency (BPA) of the Attorney General’s Office has handed over a number of assets belonging to the boss of PT Golden Key Group (PT GKG), Eddy Tansil, as a convict in the case of embezzling state funds amounting to US$430 million or around Rp1.3 trillion. The assets handed over include cash of Rp51.6 billion, 20 plots of land, a villa, and a factory. Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa appreciated the Attorney General’s Office for successfully tracing Eddy Tansil’s assets worth Rp51.6 billion. “The Eddy Tansil case, which has long been in the public memory, the money can still be recovered,” said Purbaya at the Attorney General’s Office yesterday (15/6). Attorney General ST Burhanuddin and Chairman of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) Achmadi were also in attendance.