Ministry Of Finance Sets Heavy Disciplinary Punishment For Supervisor Of KPP Pratama Pare Who Is Suspect Of Bribery For Solo-Kertosono Toll Tax Restitution At KPK

KPK press conference related to the bribery case for tax refunds for the Solo-Kertosono toll road construction project at KPP Pratama Pare/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) has imposed severe disciplinary penalties on the Supervisor of the Tax Auditor Team at the Tax Service Office (KPP) Pratama Pare, East Java, Abdul Rachman (AR).

This was because AR was entangled in the alleged bribery case for paying tax refunds for the Solo-Kertosono Toll Road construction project at KPP Pratama Pare.

"Internally, we have carried out an examination in accordance with the provisions in Government Regulation Number 94 of 2021 concerning Discipline of Civil Servants. As a result, the person concerned has been sentenced to a severe level of discipline in accordance with the government regulation," said the Inspector General for Investigations. Ministry of Finance Alexander Zulkarnain during a press conference at the KPK building, Jakarta, Friday, August 5.

The KPK has determined AR together with the private sector Suheri (SHR) as recipients of the bribe in the case. Meanwhile, the donors are Tri Atmoko (TA) from the private sector/joint operation (JO) China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA), and PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PP).

"The handling that is being carried out by the KPK regarding this case is a follow-up to a case that has been around for a long time, which occurred in 2017 so it is not a case that has just happened," said Alexander.

The Ministry of Finance, he continued, was concerned and regretted that there were cases of alleged abuse of authority by employees of the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT).

"This should not happen because every employee has been provided with a code of ethics, code of conduct, and we run an integrity framework that clearly does not tolerate such actions," he said.

The Ministry of Finance also appreciates and fully supports the steps taken by the KPK, the Internal Compliance Unit within the Ministry of Finance and the Inspectorate for Investigations who have worked together to follow up on the case.

"Given the importance of the role of taxes, the role of internal supervisors is also important, the Internal Compliance Unit within the Ministry of Finance and the Inspectorate for Investigations does not hesitate to process violations of discipline, code of ethics to maintain organizational integrity and help optimize state revenues," said Alexander.

In this case, he said, the Ministry of Finance is committed to continuing to support the improvement of governance at the DGT through the tax reforms that are being implemented.

"Various reform programs at the Ministry of Finance and DGT continue to be rolled out related to improvements and developments in the fields of human resources (HR), organizations, IT, databases, business processes as well as improving tax regulations," he said.

However, the Ministry of Finance also appeals to taxpayers and the entire community to comply with taxes and not offer any form of compensation related to the fulfillment of tax obligations to DGT employees.

"If there is a DGT employee who promises convenience regarding the fulfillment of tax obligations with certain rewards, immediately report it to us through the Ministry of Finance's whistleblowing system at www.wise.kemenkeu.go.id or through the tax ring 1500200 or email complaint@pajak. go.id," said Alexander.

"We appreciate taxpayers who continue to consistently report their tax obligations correctly in accordance with the provisions of the applicable laws," he added.