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115223
Tue, 04/06/2010 - 01:23
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https://oananews.org//node/115223
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News Focus: BUYUNG EXPECTED TO HELP UNCOVER TAX MAFIA NETWORKS
By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Apr 5 (ANTARA) - Former member of presidential advisory council and senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution (Buyung) who has decided to act as a defense counsel to rouge tax official Gayus Tambunan is expected to help uncover the mafia network behind Tambunan's case of money laundering and tax evasion worth Rp25 billion.
"I asked Gayus to tell the truth and reveal all those who are implicated. I told him that if he revealed only half of the truth it would be more disadvantageous for him," Buyung said in an interview with Metro TV.
He hoped that by acting as Gayus's lawyer he would be able to dig more information on who else were in the mafia networks. There could certainly be many other "Gayus" at the directorate general of taxation who have been operating for years.
The case of Gayus Tambunan, a tax official of the directorate general of taxation who is now a suspect and under police investigation for his suspicious account worth Rp25 billion, has led police to name seven suspects, including police officers, and held them.
Two police brigadier generals are now also under investigation for alleged implication of the Gayus case. This case came to the surface when former police chief detective Commissioner General Susno Duadji recently claimed that two police brigadier generals had been implicated in the Gayus Tambunan case.
According to Buyung, Gayus needs justice and protection because it's just possible that certain parties would not accept it and would try to use all means to silence him if he reveals all involved in the crimes.
"Yesterday (on Saturday, April 3), I met Gayus to convince myself whether he would be honest or not to tell the truth. He said he had committed the embezzlement under a request and coercion of a person," Buyung was quoted by Media Indonesia daily on Monday as saying.
According to Buyung, the confession of Gayus indicates the existence of a "boss" who organizes tax evasion mafia. It is obvious that a 'play director' exists. Now it depends on the expertise of investigators to see where a strand of a spider web is leading to.
"It should not happen that Gayus is made victim of a tax mafia," Buyung said.
According to Buyung, examinations must be carried out on individuals in law enforcing institutions such as the prosecutor's office, police and the finance ministry.
Earlier, public prosecutors have investigated Gayus for his suspicious account with funds amounting to Rp25 billion. However, the prosecutors were alleged to have fabricated the dossiers and scrapped two articles on Gayus charges, namely on money laundering and corruption.
There was an indication of money laundering with the suspicious funds worth Rp25 billion as the origin of these funds was not clear. But the public prosecutor (Cyrus Sinaga) only charged the suspect with embezzlement of Rp450 million.
This led presiding judge M Asnun, with jury members Bambang Widiatmoko and Haran Tarigan, acquitted the suspect from all charges on March 12, 2010.
Therefore, Buyung Nasution has challenged Attorney General Hendarman Supandji to uncover court mafia practices at his office.
"I challenge the attorney general to uncover all the mafia cases," Buyung, said on Monday. He said that Tambunan's case could serve as an entry point for investigators to fight judicial mafia.
He said the attorney general should take immediate steps to examine investigators and public prosecutors who were involved in the investigation of Gayus Tambunan's case as there had been 'oddities' in its handling of the Gayus Tambunan.
There was an indication of money laundering with the suspicious funds worth Rp25 billion as the origin of these funds was not clear.
"This is a golden chance for the efforts to uncover all court mafia cases. The Gayus case is a blessing from God which could be used for a cleaning up exercise," Buyung said.
But he said uncovering all judicial mafia cases would need the preparedness of all sides like police, the prosecutor's office and the finance ministry, in this case the directorate general of taxation.
In the meantime, National Police Headquarters Chief Spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said police were still waiting for enough evidence before they could examine prosecutors in connection with Gayus Tambunan's allegedly engineered tax embezzlement case.
"We will examine them if we already have enough evidence," Edward said after the transfer of a regional police chief post here on Monday.
Edward made the statement in response to a plan to examine prosecutors who allegedly received fund transfers in return to their efforts to fabricate a corruption, money laundering and embezzlement case involving tax official suspect Gayus Tambunan.
However, Edward said that police investigators and the independent team had not yet found any piece of evidence on the allegation that prosecutors handling Gayus case had received fund transfers for manipulating the case.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself believed that there had been a clandestine deal and conspiracy between tax officers and taxpayers with regard to the Gayus case. Thereby, the president called for a thorough investigation of the tax fraud case, saying anyone involved in it must be brought to justice.
"I consider this a conspiracy case (and therefore) I ask for it to be solved , (the persons involved) must be pursued to ensure clean governance and so that the state will not lose," he said.
Jakarta, Apr 5 (ANTARA) - Former member of presidential advisory council and senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution (Buyung) who has decided to act as a defense counsel to rouge tax official Gayus Tambunan is expected to help uncover the mafia network behind Tambunan's case of money laundering and tax evasion worth Rp25 billion.
"I asked Gayus to tell the truth and reveal all those who are implicated. I told him that if he revealed only half of the truth it would be more disadvantageous for him," Buyung said in an interview with Metro TV.
He hoped that by acting as Gayus's lawyer he would be able to dig more information on who else were in the mafia networks. There could certainly be many other "Gayus" at the directorate general of taxation who have been operating for years.
The case of Gayus Tambunan, a tax official of the directorate general of taxation who is now a suspect and under police investigation for his suspicious account worth Rp25 billion, has led police to name seven suspects, including police officers, and held them.
Two police brigadier generals are now also under investigation for alleged implication of the Gayus case. This case came to the surface when former police chief detective Commissioner General Susno Duadji recently claimed that two police brigadier generals had been implicated in the Gayus Tambunan case.
According to Buyung, Gayus needs justice and protection because it's just possible that certain parties would not accept it and would try to use all means to silence him if he reveals all involved in the crimes.
"Yesterday (on Saturday, April 3), I met Gayus to convince myself whether he would be honest or not to tell the truth. He said he had committed the embezzlement under a request and coercion of a person," Buyung was quoted by Media Indonesia daily on Monday as saying.
According to Buyung, the confession of Gayus indicates the existence of a "boss" who organizes tax evasion mafia. It is obvious that a 'play director' exists. Now it depends on the expertise of investigators to see where a strand of a spider web is leading to.
"It should not happen that Gayus is made victim of a tax mafia," Buyung said.
According to Buyung, examinations must be carried out on individuals in law enforcing institutions such as the prosecutor's office, police and the finance ministry.
Earlier, public prosecutors have investigated Gayus for his suspicious account with funds amounting to Rp25 billion. However, the prosecutors were alleged to have fabricated the dossiers and scrapped two articles on Gayus charges, namely on money laundering and corruption.
There was an indication of money laundering with the suspicious funds worth Rp25 billion as the origin of these funds was not clear. But the public prosecutor (Cyrus Sinaga) only charged the suspect with embezzlement of Rp450 million.
This led presiding judge M Asnun, with jury members Bambang Widiatmoko and Haran Tarigan, acquitted the suspect from all charges on March 12, 2010.
Therefore, Buyung Nasution has challenged Attorney General Hendarman Supandji to uncover court mafia practices at his office.
"I challenge the attorney general to uncover all the mafia cases," Buyung, said on Monday. He said that Tambunan's case could serve as an entry point for investigators to fight judicial mafia.
He said the attorney general should take immediate steps to examine investigators and public prosecutors who were involved in the investigation of Gayus Tambunan's case as there had been 'oddities' in its handling of the Gayus Tambunan.
There was an indication of money laundering with the suspicious funds worth Rp25 billion as the origin of these funds was not clear.
"This is a golden chance for the efforts to uncover all court mafia cases. The Gayus case is a blessing from God which could be used for a cleaning up exercise," Buyung said.
But he said uncovering all judicial mafia cases would need the preparedness of all sides like police, the prosecutor's office and the finance ministry, in this case the directorate general of taxation.
In the meantime, National Police Headquarters Chief Spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said police were still waiting for enough evidence before they could examine prosecutors in connection with Gayus Tambunan's allegedly engineered tax embezzlement case.
"We will examine them if we already have enough evidence," Edward said after the transfer of a regional police chief post here on Monday.
Edward made the statement in response to a plan to examine prosecutors who allegedly received fund transfers in return to their efforts to fabricate a corruption, money laundering and embezzlement case involving tax official suspect Gayus Tambunan.
However, Edward said that police investigators and the independent team had not yet found any piece of evidence on the allegation that prosecutors handling Gayus case had received fund transfers for manipulating the case.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself believed that there had been a clandestine deal and conspiracy between tax officers and taxpayers with regard to the Gayus case. Thereby, the president called for a thorough investigation of the tax fraud case, saying anyone involved in it must be brought to justice.
"I consider this a conspiracy case (and therefore) I ask for it to be solved , (the persons involved) must be pursued to ensure clean governance and so that the state will not lose," he said.
