Tax Directorate Gives Ultimatum to Sukanto Tanoto
Friday, 15 February, 2008 | 12:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Tax Directorate General gave an ultimatum to Sukanto Tanoto, the owner of Raja Garuda Mas (RGM) business group, for being absent in the examination of a tax embezzlement allegation by his company PT Asian Agri.

Director of Tax Intelligence and Investigation, Tjiptardjo, said that Sukanto had been absent two times from the summons. This is despite the fact that the summons had already been sent to three addresses, Sukanto's house in Jakarta, Asian Agri Group's office and Sukanto's residence in Singapore. “We will send the third summons. If he cannot be present, we will summon him by force,” he said in Jakarta yesterday (14/2). The tax officers will cooperate with the police and immigration officers to bring him in.

If he cannot be brought in, even by the forced summons, he said, Sukanto will become a fugitive. “He will be included in the list of wanted people (DPO) if the forced summons is not effective,” said Tjiptardjo.

He suggested that Sukanto fulfill the tax investigators' summons. This is because the summons is an opportunity to clarify the accusation addressed to Asian Agri, his business unit in the agribusiness sector, which is alleged to embezzling tax. “As the summons is for him as a witness,” he said.

Asian Agri is suspected to have embezzled tax by marking up the company's costs by Rp1.5 trillion; marking up the export transaction loss by Rp232 billion and lowering the sales input by Rp889 billion. The government's temporary loss is Rp1.3 trillion. Currently the Tax Directorate General has declared 11 suspects.

The Tax Directorate General, Darmin Nasution, said that the Asian Agri case's investigation will be resumed until completion. Based on the provisional findings, the number of suspects can grow to more than 11. According to Darmin, the amount of losses suffered by the government will probably also increase.

Asian Agri's spokesperson, Rudy Victor Sinaga, acknowledged not knowing anything about the summons from the tax office for Sukanto Tanoto. “I've never seen the letter, so I can't comment,” he said when contacted by Tempo yesterday.

PADJAR ISWARA | AGUS SUPRIYANTO