KPK Optimistic 2 Former Tax Officials Angin Prayitno And Dadan Ramdani Convicted Of Accepting Bribes

Illustration-(KPK Building/Irfan Meidianto)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is optimistic that the former Director of Audit and Collection of the Directorate General of Taxes at the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) Angin Prayitno Aji and the former Head of the Sub-Directorate of Cooperation and Audit Support of the Directorate General of Taxes, Dadan Ramdani, will be convicted.

This optimism is conveyed because the two of them will undergo a trial for the verdict on the alleged receipt of bribes today or Thursday, February 3. The facts of the trial and the evidence brought by the public prosecutor (JPU) are considered to be able to prove the actions of the two defendants.

"We are optimistic that the evidence presented by the prosecutor's team can give the panel of judges confidence so that the actions of the defendant Angin Prayitino A and his friends can be found guilty," said Acting KPK Spokesperson for Enforcement Sector Ali Fikri to reporters, Thursday, February 3.

The KPK, continued Ali, wants the Panel of Judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court to decide this case by prioritizing a deterrent effect. So, the practice of rasuah like what the two of them did is no longer happening.

"We hope that the panel of judges can decide as demanded by the justice team because we understand that the paradigm of handling corruption as an extra-ordinary crime is not only a matter of law enforcement for the sake of a sense of justice," he said.

"However, how to enforce the law is also able to provide a deterrent effect to prevent similar acts from happening again," Ali added.

As previously reported, the Director of Audit and Collection at the 2016-2019 Directorate General of Taxes, Angin Prayitno Aji, was sentenced to 9 years in prison, while the Head of the 2016-2019 Directorate General of Taxes Audit Cooperation and Support, Dadan Ramdani, was charged with 6 years in prison for allegedly accepting bribes related to the fabrication of tax calculation results.

Angin and Dadan are also required to pay compensation in the amount of IDR 3.375 billion and 1.095 million Singapore dollars, calculated at the 2019 exchange rate of IDR 10,227 per Singapore dollar no later than 1 month after the inkrah decision.

In this case, the two were charged with receiving a total of IDR 15 billion and 4 million Singapore dollars or around IDR 42.17 billion.

This revenue was made to manipulate the results of the calculation of three tax audits, namely PT Gunung Madu Plantations (GMP) for the 2016 tax year, PT Panin Bank for the 2016 tax year, and PT Jhonlin Baratama (JB) for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years.