Gayus received $500,000 from KPC

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 08/03/2010 7:57 PM | National

Disgraced tax official Gayus Tambunan has testified that coal mining firm Kaltim Prima Coal paid him $500,000 for favorable tax treatment. (Antara Photo)

Graft suspect Gayus Halomoan Tambunan admitted to receiving a total of US$500,000 from PT Kaltim Prima Coal to help the coal producer exempt taxes, a court heard.

“From PT KPC I received $500,000 or about Rp 5 billion,” Gayus told the court in his testimony at the trial of National Police investigator Adj. Comr. Sri Sumartini on Tuesday.

Gayus said he helped KPC evade tax obligations in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 and received the money through middleman Alif Kuncoro.

Gayus added he the money from KPC, a company partly owned by the family of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, also went to his superior at the Directorate General of Taxation, Maruli Pandapotan Manurung.

Gayus has testified before detectives that Maruli was among tax officials allegedly orchestrating tax reports of companies under Bakrie Group. According to Gayus, Maruli had received $1.5 million from KPC.

As a junior tax official, Gayus amassed Rp 28 billion from helping companies settle tax disputes. He deposited the money in privately owned BCA and Panin Bank.

But when he came under police investigation for alleged embezzlement and money laundering, he said he lost at least $200,000. He gave his lawyer $20,000 as operational fund, $100,000 to avoid police detention, $35,000 to make the police reopen his frozen bank accounts and $45,000 to prevent the police from seizing his house in Kepala Gading, North Jakarta. Gayus paid the money to the police investigators through his attorney.

Gayus also said he spent a total of $500,000 to pay the police, prosecutors and judges.

The Tangerang District Court acquitted him from all charges earlier this year, ending his trial which saw state prosecutors seek a suspended jail term for him.

Political heavyweight Aburizal Bakrie, left, standing beside former vice-president Jusuf Kalla. Bakrie's companies are being accused of bribing former tax official Gayus Tambunan. (Antara Photo/Audy Alwi)

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Case: Gayus Tambunan