Hadi to be charged with money laundering

JAKARTA. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) said on Sunday it was looking into the financial transactions of former Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman Hadi Poernomo.

According to the PPATK, if the investigation concluded that transactions inconsistent with his profile as a state official had taken place then the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would likely move to charge the former Finance Ministry’s director general of taxation with money laundering.

PPATK deputy chairman Agus Santoso, however, declined to elaborate on the preliminary findings from the probe, saying that he was prohibited from doing so by law.

“The investigation is ongoing. We will release the findings after completing the investigation,” Agus told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, adding that it was the KPK that had requested his office to launch the probe.

Agus added that it was almost certain Hadi would be charged with money laundering.

He said: “From past experience, high-profile graft suspects launder their ill-gotten gains,” in order to sever ties with their dirty money.

According to data from the KPK, Hadi’s reported wealth was Rp 38 billion in February 2010, the last time he had filed a report to the antigraft body.

The data also show that Hadi owned plots of land and buildings across the country and a piece of land in Los Angeles, US.

“Yes, we have asked PPATK to probe Hadi’s finances,” KPK chairman Abraham Samad said confirming that the antigraft body had filed the request to the PPATK.

Hadi was named a suspect by the KPK for his alleged role during his tenure as the tax boss between 2002 and 2004 to discriminatively approve a request by Bank Central Asia (BCA), now the nation’s third-biggest lender, for tax leniency.

The antigraft body revealed that Hadi’s decision resulted state loses of Rp 375 billion (US$32.54 million), adding that it was also investigating the possibility that Hadi might have accepted kickbacks in exchange for his decision to approve BCA’s request.

Abraham said that other banks had also filed for similar requests, but Hadi rejected their proposals.

Meanwhile, according to documents from the Finance Ministry directorate general of taxation dated May 2007, copies of which were obtained by the Post recently, the alleged crime caused potential tax losses of Rp 3.45 trillion. Then finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati requested a full investigation following irregularities in the granting of income tax leniency to BCA by Hadi.

According to the documents, issued by the compliance and human resources transformation directorate, Hadi’s decision went against existing tax regulations and caused huge losses in potential tax revenues from BCA between the 2000 and 2003 fiscal years.

Separately, BCA president director Jahja Setiaatmadja denied any wrongdoing, insisting that everything “had been done in compliance with the Tax Law”.

Last week, the KPK questioned three officials from the directorate general of taxation in relation to the case, the first move by the KPK after naming Hadi a suspect on April 21.

The KPK also said that it would also question BCA officials.

On Friday, KPK spokesman Johan Budi announced that the antigraft body raided a house in South Tangerang to look for more evidence in the case against Hadi.

“The house belongs to Fredy — Jl. Sutera Harmoni V No. 21 and 23, Alam Sutera, Serpong, South Tangerang,” Johan said, declining to discuss the relationship between Fredy and BCA as well as the tax directorate general. (Haeril Halim)