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JAKARTA: The government is racing to file the necessary paperwork to complete the extradition process against Paulus Tannos (pic), an Indonesian businessman and graft suspect, who was apprehended in Singapore last week.
The Singaporean Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) arrested Paulus, who also goes by the name Thian Po Tjhin, on Jan 22, ending his evasion for more than five years after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named him a suspect in a massive corruption case pertaining to e-ID procurement.
The arrest was made after the antigraft body made a request through the National Police’s international relations division for a provisional arrest warrant, which was eventually issued by a Singaporean court on Jan 17.
The government is now looking to have Paulus returned to Jakarta, where he is expected to stand trial for allegedly colluding to help his company PT Sandipala Arthapura secure a rigged tender for the e-ID project.
The extradition would use a mechanism based on a treaty signed by both countries in 2022. The Law Ministry has until March 3, or 45 days from the Singaporean court issuing the arrest warrant against Paulus, to finish the necessary documents and formally submit an extradition request for the fugitive.
“We have formed a team consisting of officials from the Law Ministry, the KPK, the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office [AGO] and the Foreign Ministry. We’re confident that we can submit all ahead of the deadline,” Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said during a press briefing on Wednesday (Jan 29).
Once Indonesian officials submit the request, a Singaporean court will decide whether to grant or reject the extradition request. Should the court grant Indonesia’s extradition request, Paulus will have a chance to appeal the ruling in an appellate court.
“We cannot interfere with the legal process in Singapore. All we can do is to respect all regulations and mechanisms in Singapore,” said Supratman, conveying his belief that the city state would respect the extradition deal signed by both countries.
On Thursday, KPK chair Setyo Budiyanto said the antigraft body had submitted some documents for the extradition process to the Singaporean authorities, as reported by kompas.com. However, he did not specify details of the submitted documents.
The KPK had repeatedly summoned Paulus, who is suspected of pocketing around Rp 140 billion (US$8.6 million) between 2011 and 2013 from the embezzled budget earmarked for the e-ID project, for interrogation since his being named a suspect in 2019.
But the businessman, who had been residing in Singapore since 2017, never came for the questioning sessions, forcing the antigraft body to put him on the most-wanted list in 2021.
In May 2017, Paulus testified as a witness via teleconference at a hearing of former Home Ministry officials Irman and Sugiharto, who were standing trial in the e-ID graft case. The court sentenced Irman and Sugiharto to seven and five years’ imprisonment, before the Supreme Court increased the prison sentences to 15 years.
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Supratman also dismissed rumours that Paulus’ ownership of a foreign passport may complicate the extradition process. The minister said that the businessman had submitted at least two requests to renounce his Indonesian citizenship since 2018.
But both pleas were rejected because he did not submit all necessary documents. Indonesia does not recognise dual citizenship for adults, therefore “Paulus [...] is still an Indonesian citizen,” Supratman insisted.
With Rp 2.3 trillion in state losses, the plundering of the e-ID project is one of the most notorious corruption cases in the country’s recent history.
The indictment by KPK prosecutors against Irman and Sugiharto alleged that the graft case enriched at least 60 House of Representatives lawmakers, officials at the Home Ministry and several corporations.
Figures implicated in the case included former House speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto, who was found guilty of accepting around $7.3 million from the embezzlement. He was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. - The Jakarta Post/ANN