Taxation, postal officials on trial for alleged graft

Taxation, postal officials on trial for alleged graft

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

The Makassar District Court began on Tuesday the trial of an
official with the South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi Taxation
Office and an accomplice who works with the Makassar Post Office
for misappropriating Rp 40.9 billion (US$4.9 million) in tax
payments from cement producer PT Semen Tonasa.

Prosecutor Muhammad Zainal Arif said Asriadi, the taxation
office official, and Iwan Zulkarnain, the post office official,
were charged with misusing their positions to enrich themselves,
thereby inflicting Rp 40.9 billion in losses to the state.

Both are being charged with violating Anticorruption Law No.
21/2001 and the Criminal Code.

Under the anticorruption law, a person found guilty of
corruption faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

"Both defendants had made a deal to take the tax payments from
Semen Tonasa," Zainal said while reading the indictment.

"Income tax and value-added tax payments from Semen Tonasa in
the form of checks were cashed by Iwan from Bank Universal. Iwan
put the money into his account in that bank," he added.

To conceal his action, Iwan kept four copies of tax payment
certificates at his office and gave the other two to Asriadi, who
then covertly put the letters at the income tax and value-added
tax divisions of his tax office, the prosecutor said.

"So...it looked as if the tax payments from Semen Tonasa had
been received by the State Treasury," he said.

Zainal said the two alleged corruptors had taken the tax
payments of Semen Tonasa 13 times between 2001 and 2002.

With the money, Asriadi had bought a house worth Rp 4 billion,
three luxury cars, one motorcycle, and possessed several bank
accounts, the prosecutor said.

Meanwhile, Iwan used part of the money to purchase a luxury
car, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and three houses.

Iwan's lawyer Machbub later challenged the indictment, saying
that it was unclear and incomplete.

However, Asriadi's lawyer Abdul Karim Malik accepted the
indictment and asked the panel of judges, presided over by Judge
Andi Haedar to continue the trial by presenting witnesses.

The trial was adjourned until next Tuesday.