"The number of the suspended officials of the Directorate General of Immigration who have allegedly been involved in the Gayus case has increased from 16 to 27," Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said here Sunday.
The suspension of the suspected immigration officials indicated that the government`s seriousness in combating the mafia and tax fraud cases in the country, he said.
"I affirm the government`s seriousness and focus on revealing the mafia and tax fraud cases. One of the indications is the suspension of 27 immigration officers," he said.
Speaking to newsmen after attending a regional meeting of the National Mandate Party (PAN) here, Patrialis said the police had also suspended some officers in connection with the Gayus case.
The Attorney General`s Office was preparing new charges while the first echelon`s officials within the finance ministry had also been succeeded, he said.
Meanwhile Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Rajasa said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s 12 instructions on the case of defendant Gayus Tambunan was indeed the government`s seriousness in handling the case.
"I think the government does its best to reveal the mafia and tax fraud cases in the country. The president`s 12 instructions show the government`s seriousness in resolving those cases," he said.
In his instructions, the head of state had asked the national police, finance ministry, the Attorney General`s Office and the law and human rights ministry to accelerate their probes in the Gayus Tambunan case.
The president also instructed law enforcers and authorities of related institutions to build a sound synergy, and involve the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center and Judicial Mafia Task force in revealing the case.
Vice President Boediono was in charge of monitoring the ministries and institutions to exercise the president`s orders by cooperating with the Judicial Mafia Task force.
Hatta Rajasa said the "reverse onus" approach was a new and extraordinary step the president had instructed in speeding up the revelation of the Gayus case.
"So, all parties need not feel uncertain with (the government`s seriousness) because there was a system which has been working to follow up the president`s orders," he said.
The case of Gayus Tambunan, a junior civil servant working at the tax office, has caught wide public attention since the police named him suspect for having a suspicious Rp25 billion bank account in March 2010.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
