Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Former director general of taxation Hadi Poernomo (HP) failed to meet the summons of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as a suspect in a corruption case.

"HP skipped the summons to be examined as a suspect today," a spokesman for the KPK, Priharsa Nugraha, said here on Thursday.

The anti-graft agency named him as a suspect on April 21, 2014, in connection with his alleged involvement in a corruption case when he held the post of the director general of taxation during the 2002-2004 period.

"He reportedly sent a letter to the commissions investigators earlier. I do not know the reason for his absence," he stated.

The commission will issue another summons for HP.

"Yes, we will summon him again. The schedule will be determined by the investigator," Nugraha affirmed.

With regard to his case, when HP was the tax director general, he had allegedly changed the result of an examination on objection to corporate tax assessment for the 1999-2003 period over non-performing loans worth Rp5.7 trillion, which were submitted by the BCA bank to the corporate tax director on July 17, 2003.

The result of the examination was issued on March 13, 2004, and then submitted to the director general, who rejected BCAs objection.

However, a day before the final decision over BCAs objection was issued on July 18, 2004, HP ordered the corporate tax director to amend his conclusion and accept BCAs objection.

He later issued a decision letter accepting all objections submitted by the taxpayer, and through this move, he offered no time to the corporate tax director to respond to the dissenting opinion.

As a result of this decision, the state incurred losses amounting to Rp375 billion, based on which the KPK named him as a suspect for violating Articles 2 and 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999, later amended to Law Number 20 of 2001 on corruption eradication and Article 55 of the Criminal Law.

If proven guilty, HP could serve a jail term of up to 20 years and have to pay a fine of Rp1 billion.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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