Praperadilan Paulus Tannos Ditolak oleh Pengadilan Negeri Jakarta Selatan

JAKARTA - The South Jakarta District Court (PN Jaksel) has rejected a pretrial motion challenging the status of suspect designation in an alleged e-KTP procurement corruption case filed by Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po.

“On the merits of the case, the court declares that the petitioner’s pretrial motion cannot be accepted or Niet Ontvankelijke Verklaard,” stated Judge Rio Barten Timbul Hasahatan during the verdict reading session at PN Jaksel on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.

Judge Rio explained that Paulus Tannos’s request could not be granted owing to the Supreme Court Circular Letter (SE MA) Number 1 of 2018. Tannos had been on the wanted persons list (DPO) since 19 October 2021 before being arrested in Singapore in January 2025.

The judge upheld the exception filed by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the respondent, which stated that Paulus Tannos remained on the wanted persons list in the sense that he had not yet surrendered and complied effectively with the investigation process. Consequently, Tannos was deemed to lack legal standing to file a pretrial motion pursuant to Law Number 20 of 2001.

“Indeed, there is no appeals or cassation mechanism in pretrial proceedings, so we must accept this verdict,” said Rangga, Tannos’s legal representative.

Nevertheless, his team has raised concerns about several of the judge’s considerations, which they view as questionable. According to Rangga, various pieces of evidence that had been submitted were not taken into account in the ruling.

Rangga also compared the current verdict with a previous decision regarding wanted persons status, noting what he perceived as inconsistent judicial reasoning. “In the previous ruling, because our client had been detained since January 2025, the judge stated that wanted persons status became irrelevant. However, in this ruling, the reasoning is different,” he said.

Despite the rejection of the pretrial motion, Rangga emphasised that his client’s legal fight has not ended.