Judge Is Not Ready, Trial Of Wind Prayitno's Decision In Bribery And Money Laundering Cases Postponed Until Next Week

The courtroom at the Corruption Court (Tipikor) at the Central Jakarta District Court. (ANTARA/Fath Putra Mulya)

JAKARTA - The trial to read the verdict of the defendant Director of Audit and Collection (P2) at the Directorate General of Taxes at the Ministry of Finance for the 2016 –2019 period, Angin Prayitno, in the case of alleged bribery and money laundering, was postponed for a week. "A week has been postponed for reading the judge's decision," said Head of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) News Section Ali Fikri when confirmed via text message from Jakarta, Monday, August 21. Ali said the trial was postponed because the panel of judges at the Corruption Court (Tipikor) at the Central Jakarta District Court led by Fahzal Hendri still needed time to hold a trial to read the verdict. "The judge is not ready yet," said Ali Fikri. Originally, the trial for reading the verdict for case number 7/Pid.Sus-TPK/2023/PN Jkt.Pst will be held today, Monday, 10:00 WIB in Kusuma Atmadja Room, Corruption Court, Jakarta. "The trial date: Monday, August 21, 2023. Hours: 10.00 WIB s/d is complete. Agenda: for the verdict. Room: Kusuma Atmadja," said Angin Prayitno's trial schedule, quoted from the Case Investigation Information System (SIPP) page of the Central Jakarta District Court, Monday. Previously, the KPK public prosecutor (JPU) charged Angin Prayitno Aji with nine years in prison plus a fine of Rp. 1 billion, subsidiary to imprisonment for six months. "Declaring that the defendant Angin Prayitno Aji has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing a criminal act of corruption and money laundering as indicted first and second,” said the KPK prosecutor at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Monday (27/6). In addition, Angin Prayitno was also required to pay compensation for the amount of crime he enjoyed, which amounted to Rp29,505,167,100.00. "If the convict does not pay the replacement money within one month after the court's decision which has obtained permanent legal force, his property can be confiscated by the prosecutor and auctioned off to cover the replacement money. If it is not sufficient, he will be sentenced to imprisonment for two years, ” continued the prosecutor. Angin called the KPK prosecutor was proven to have received gratification as the first indictment of Article 12 B in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law no. 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code jo. Article 65 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code and the second indictment of Article 3 of Law no. 8/2019 concerning the Prevention and Eradication of the Crime of Money Laundering jo. Article 65 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code. In this case, Angin Prayitno was charged with receiving gratuities worth Rp29,505,167,100 and money laundering. Angin Prayitno is said to have received a sum of money from several taxpayers. "Of the taxpayers, the defendant has received Rp1,912,500,000, Singapore dollars equivalent to Rp575 million, US dollars equivalent to Rp1.25 billion so that the amount is Rp3,737,500,000,” said KPK prosecutor Yoga Pratomo at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Tuesday. Apart from taxpayers, continued the Public Prosecutor, Angin also made receipts related to his position with a total of Rp25,767,667,100. Thus, the total received by Angin was Rp29,505,167,100. In the second indictment, Angin Prayitno is said to have committed a crime of money laundering. The money laundering was to cover up money originating from receiving gratuities for the 2014 – 2019 period worth Rp29,505,167,100 and bribes amounting to Rp14,628,315,000. To disguise the origins of the assets resulting from receiving gratuities and bribes, Angin Prayitno bought a number of parcels of land, buildings, and luxury cars on behalf of other people.

Angin itself is a convict in a bribery case related to a tax audit that has been sentenced to nine years in prison plus a fine of Rp. 300 million, subsidiary to two months in prison and the obligation to pay compensation of Rp. 3.375 billion.