Anita Rachman & Armando Siahaan – Concerned by law enforcement's investigation into the convoluted case of high-profile graft suspect Gayus Tambunan, lawmakers on Wednesday said they would set up a working committee to aid in the fight against the tax mafia.
Benny K. Harman, chairman of House Commission III which oversees legal affairs, said the working committee was not being formed to take over the legal process from law enforcement institutions.
He said the committee would monitor, help and strengthen law enforcement efforts.
"So that [law enforcers] will have the moral courage to carry out the legal process, indiscriminately, to resolve the tax mafia case by summoning all alleged linked elements," he said. He also vowed the committee would not politicize the case.
He said the committee would have its first meeting next week and would be chaired by Commission III deputy chairman Tjatur Sapto Edy, from the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Benny said the committee would start by laying out an agenda, including possible parties to be summoned.
Although he refused to mention Gayus specifically, he said the committee would call for questioning all parties connected with his case. "We will summon all elements without exception if they are indeed related," he said
The Democratic Party lawmaker said the committee's own investigation would produce recommendations on the improvement of law enforcement policies.
Fahri Hamzah, Commission III deputy chairman from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said the working committee wanted to refocus the investigation's direction.
He said the high drama of the Gayus case had diverted too much attention, and the system that allowed the taxman to commit his crimes needed to be scrutinized more closely.
"Such as to whom he transferred the money to," he said, and the mechanisms that were used to make the transfers.
However, Aziz Syamsuddin, Golkar lawmaker and another commission deputy chairman, said Gayus could only divulge all of the details in front of a court, and not at a lawmakers' hearing.
"If that [the summoning of Gayus] really happens, then there will be an intervention in the legal area," he said. "Commission III doesn't need to step in, we are not a legal institution."
Separately on Wednesday, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said his ministry was ready to provide any information needed by the police as part of the investigation into the tax mafia surrounding Gayus.
"On Dec. 20, the National Police chief sent a letter requesting the data," Agus said. "We will hand it to them within the next one or two days."
Gayus claims to have amassed a huge fortune from bribes he received from 149 companies, including miners Kaltim Prima Coal, Arutmin and Bumi Resources, all of which are part of the Bakrie Group, owned by the family of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
Police have maintained that they needed evidence before investigating the Bakrie companies.