New Tax Intelligence, Internal Audit Directors Appointed After Bribery Scandal
Jakarta. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati appointed two officials in strategic positions at the Directorate General of Taxation on Tuesday (29/11), following a recent bribery scandal involving a tax inspector, which marred the ministry's hard-earned trust among the public.
"These two positions are important. Show that you are respected because of your credibility. Prove it to the citizens and me," Sri Mulyani said.
The minister appointed Peni Hirjanto to lead the newly formed tax intelligence directorate. He was previously the director of objections and appeals.
"Intelligence and investigations are not tools to blackmail taxpayers but to understand the tax base and to check whether taxpayers have been complying," Sri Mulyani said in her speech.
"The ability to collect intelligence data to maximize tax potential becomes very important; to collect relevant information and to use it properly," she added.
The minister also appointed former taxation information technology director Harry Gumelar as internal compliance and bureaucratic transformation director.
"Mr. Harry, I will need you to conduct this task without any compromise," Sri Mulyani said.
The appointment came just a few days after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Handang Soekarno, head of the law enforcement directorate's initial evidence sub-directorate, and Rajesh Rajamohanan Nair, president director of retail firm E.K. Prima Ekspor Indonesia. Both were subsequently named suspects in a bribery case.
Since the arrests, the minister promised to accelerate reforms in the Ministry of Finance.
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