Police Question Hary Tanoe Over Alleged Threats Against AGO Investigator
Jakarta. Police questioned tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo on Friday morning (07/07) over allegations that he sent threatening text messages to an investigator of the Attorney General's Office.
The questioning session came after Hary, who was named a suspect in the case in mid-June, failed to comply with a police summons on Tuesday.
"His case files will be submitted to prosecutors immediately after this questioning," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said.
Hary was also questioned on Thursday as a witness in an AGO investigation into fraud involving a Rp 10.75 billion ($809,000) tax restitution to telecommunications firm Mobile-8 in 2009.
The AGO alleges that Hary is implicated in the case in his former capacity as a commissioner of Mobile-8. Hary is chief executive of the MNC Group, which owned Mobile-8 at the time.
Hary allegedly threatened Yulianto, the prosecutor leading the investigation, in a string of text messages in January last year.
This resulted in Yulianto filing a police report against Hary, who was subsequently barred from traveling abroad for 20 days after being named a suspect in the case.
Hary has been charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and could face up to four years in prison and a fine of Rp 750 million if found guilty.
The tycoon, who also chairs the United Indonesian Party (Perindo), has repeatedly dismissed accusations that he threatened the AGO investigator. He has also denied involvement in the Mobile-8 tax fraud case.
Mobile-8, the network provider of postpaid service Fren, allegedly created a series of fictitious equipment purchases from provider Djaja Nusantara Komunikasi between 2007 and 2009 to obtain a tax refund.
Following Thursday's questioning, Hary said the AGO does not have the authority to investigate the case, insisting that it should instead be handled by the Directorate General of Taxation at the Ministry of Finance.
However, prosecutor Arminsyah defended the AGO investigation.
"This is a corruption case, not a tax case," he said.
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