Rafael Exploits Problematic Taxpayers

As a financial investigator, Rafael is suspected of receiving gratuities from taxpayers with noncompliant tax reports. He has been doing this since 2011.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The suspect Rafael Alun Trisambodo was taken by KPK officers to a detention car at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Office, Jakarta, Monday (3/4/2023).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – On Monday (3/4/2023), Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a former echelon III official at the Finance Ministry’s taxation directorate general, was taken into the custody of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Rafael had allegedly been accepted bribes since he served as a civil servant investigator (PPNS) at the East Java Tax Office in 2011.

In his role as a PPNS, Rafael is suspected of accepting gratuities from several taxpayers in exchange for tampering with tax audits. As preliminary evidence, KPK investigators found bribes totaling around US$90,000 to a tax consulting company belonging to Rafael named PT Artha Mega Ekadhana.

KPK chairman Firli Bahuri said that Rafael allegedly began accepting bribes since his term as the head of tax inspection at the investigation and collections division at the East Java Tax Office in 2011.

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“In this position, it is suspected that RAT [Rafael] accepted bribes from several taxpayers to tamper with his findings during tax audits,” Firli said at the KPK headquarters on Monday. Rafael had been a PPNS since 2005. As a financial investigator, he was authorized to review and examine the tax audits of noncompliant taxpayers.

Using his position since at least 2011, Rafael is suspected of actively recommending taxpayers who were having trouble with settling their taxes to consult with his tax consulting firm, PT Artha Mega Ekadhana (PT AME), just one of several companies Rafael owns.

In this position, it is suspected that RAT [Rafael] accepted bribes from several taxpayers to tamper with his findings during tax audits.

During its investigation, KPK investigators searched Rafael’s house in the Simprug Golf area, South Jakarta. They found wallets, belts, watches, bags, jewelry and bicycles, as well as rupiah banknotes. The KPK also confiscated cash totaling around Rp 32.2 billion in US dollars, Singapore dollars and euros that was stored in a safe deposit box belonging to Rafael.

Rafael, who was questioned by the KPK following his son’s involvement in an assault case, was reluctant to answer journalists’ questions. He directly boarded the KPK’s detention vehicle. In a written statement received by Kompas, Rafael admitted that he did not know where he went wrong. He was prepared to explain the source of his wealth, which included an inheritance from his parents.

Money laundering continues

Firli stressed that the investigation case was ongoing. The KPK would examine companies and individuals connected to Rafael, and planned to use charges of money laundering in his case.

Public policy lecturer Gitadi Tegas Supramudyo, from Airlangga University, opined that oversight at the taxation directorate general was still weak, especially for its supervisors. “We cannot allow this problem to go unchecked when it can erode public trust in the directorate general for taxation,” he said.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The suspect Rafael Alun Trisambodo was taken by KPK officers to a detention car at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Office, Jakarta, Monday (3/4/2023). Rafael Alum Trisambodo has been officially detained by the KPK for receiving gratuities from taxpayers.

Apart from causing a deterrent effect, continued Gitadi, tax officials must be rotated. When one person was in a certain position for too long, they would gain the power to engage in corruption. “Now is the right time for bureaucratic reforms, especially at the taxation directorate general,” he added.

Indonesian Anticorruption Society coordinator Boyamin Saiman believes that there are other parties at the Tax Office who were aware of Rafael’s actions. According to Boyamin, this is because there is a pattern of oversight in the tax collection system.

Now is the right time for bureaucratic reforms, especially at the taxation directorate general.

“The KPK must find other parties suspected of involvement because it is impossible for RAT [Rafel] to have done this alone,” he added.

Yustinus Prastowo, special staffer to the Finance Minister, had not replied to Kompas’s questions on supervision from the government internal control apparatus (APIP) and on improving the integrity of civil investigators at the time of writing.

Acting minerals and coal director general questioned

The KPK also questioned the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s acting minerals and coal director general, Idris F. Sihite, on allegations of corruption by manipulating the ministry’s performance allowance reports. KPK reporting head Ali Fikri revealed that Idris was questioned as a witness.

Earlier, the KPK suspected corrupt money at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. This money was added to the performance allowance of several employees at the ministry, which was then taken by the perpetrator.

After questioning by the KPK, Idris admitted that he had witnessed the distribution of performance allowances at the mineral and coal directorate general. “As an upstanding citizen, I provided information according to my experience. I have heard about corruption in the performance allowances,” he said.

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Idris also confirmed that his apartment had been searched. However, he directed journalists to ask KPK investigators regarding the Rp 1.3 billion in cash that had been found at this house, which had been previously revealed by the KPK’s investigations director, Asep Guntur.

Apart from questioning Idris, the KPK has also named 10 suspects in this case, all employees at the mineral and coal directorate general. The KPK had also prevented 10 civil servants at the ministry from traveling abroad. According to Ali, this was done so they could cooperate and be present during the scheduled inspections.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.