Extradition hearing starts for Indonesian businessman in S’pore said to have bribed officials

A court hearing is taking place here that will determine whether an Indonesian businessman in a high-profile corruption case will be extradited to his home country.

The hearing on June 23 regarding Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, is Singapore’s first such proceeding under its extradition treaty with Indonesia.

Tannos, 70, has been implicated in a major graft scandal involving the Indonesian government’s issuing of electronic ID cards – the e-KTP project – allegedly causing state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$187 million).

The Indonesian fugitive, who is believed to have been living in Singapore since 2017, faces one charge of corruption under Indonesian law that is punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The crux of the hearing is to determine whether there is enough evidence to support the corruption charge Tannos is facing, so he can be sent back to Indonesia.

In extradition hearings, the state does not have to prove the fugitive’s guilt or secure a conviction. It only has to show that there is enough evidence for the fugitive to face trial if his acts had taken place in Singapore.

Delivering the state’s opening statement, Deputy Solicitor-General (DSG) Vincent Leow said the state would rely on evidence submitted by the Indonesian authorities.

Tannos was the president and director of technology company PT Sandipala Arthaputra, which was a member of the PNRI Consortium – a grouping of companies that won the e-KTP tender in 2011.

DSG Leow said that under the alleged corruption scheme, the consortium paid “commitment fees” to officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Indonesia (Moha), which was responsible for the e-KTP tender.

Bribes were also allegedly given to members of the House of Representatives of Indonesia, or DPR-RI, who appropriated and allocated the government’s budget for the project.

The gratification amounted to 10 per cent of the total project value, split equally among Moha officials and DPR-RI members.

According to the Indonesian authorities, Tannos eventually paid US$530,000 to a Moha officer and approximately US$3.8 million to former Indonesian politician Setya Novanto through the latter’s associate.

“The Indonesian authorities’ position is that the payment of these ‘commitment fees’ resulted in the manipulation of the decision-making process regarding the e-KTP project and tender, and that the PNRI Consortium won the tender through unlawful methods,” said DSG Leow.

Chief Special Investigator Alvin Tang of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) – the state’s only witness – took the stand to give evidence on how he arrested Tannos and brought him to the State Courts.

Tannos sat in the criminal dock throughout the six-hour hearing. He had been denied bail, was wearing white prison garb, and was handcuffed.

During the hearing, his lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh argued that there were about 100 pages in the formal extradition request that were added after the stipulated deadline, and should hence be thrown out. Mr Singh said the additional documents, which were supplementary affidavits from the Indonesian authorities, “appear to be manufactured”.

He questioned why the additional documents were purportedly received by the Singapore authorities in April, but were given to the defence team only almost two months later.

Tannos’ other defence lawyer, Mr Suang Wijaya, also objected to the admission of documents prepared by the Indonesian authorities, saying they were not “duly authenticated”. 

For example, the English translation of Tannos’ arrest warrant did not have a stamp with official authorisation, said Mr Wijaya.

He added that numerous witness statements in Indonesia were unsigned, and were not sworn by the witness or the interrogator on the day that they were taken. These show the documents breached the conditions of the extradition treaty, and hence are inadmissible in court, argued Mr Wijaya.

The lawyer said that due to such “multiple and significant irregularities”, and the prejudice caused to Tannos by the delayed filing of additional documents, the extradition request should not be allowed.

DSG Leow said his team – comprising State Counsels Sivakumar Ramasamy, Sarah Siaw and Emily Zhao – would be making submissions in response to the defence’s arguments.

The hearing continues till June 25.

Tannos has reportedly been on Indonesia’s fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021. He was arrested on Jan 17 by CPIB, and Indonesia put in a formal extradition request on Feb 24.

The extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia took effect on March 21, 2024.

It grants extradition for a list of offences, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, and can be retrospectively applied to crimes committed up to 18 years ago.

Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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