Asian Agri tax evasion case would go to trial

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Director general of taxation Mochamad Tjiptardjo and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji are scheduled to hold a meeting Wednesday at the anti-judicial corruption taskforce office, to discuss the progress of a foot-dragging investigation into alleged tax evasion involving palm oil giant Asian Agri.

Tjiptardjo said during the meeting he would present three dossiers which he said had been completed.

He added that as soon as the Attorney General’s Office approved the dossiers the court could start hearing the case. The state prosecutors have, for the last three years, rejected the dossiers, citing lack of solid evidence.

“We expect the three dossiers to politically pave the way for a court hearing of the remaining dossiers,” Tjiptardjo was quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Members of the presidential anti-judicial corruption taskforce visited former Asian Agri executive Vincentius Amin Santosa in his jail cell in February to give law enforcers a boost in their investigation into the case, which is believed to have caused state losses of Rp 1.3 trillion (US$142 million).

Vincentius, formerly the Asian Agri chief financial controller, reported the tax evasion case while on the run in Singapore in 2006, after the company – belonging to tycoon Sukanto Tanoto – accused him of embezzling its funds. Vincentius is serving an 11-year prison term for money laundering and document forgery.

The taskforce promised the tax evasion case would go to trial.