Jakarta. Former high-ranking tax official Rafael Alun Trisambodo was found guilty on Monday of corruption and money laundering and sentenced to 14 years in prison in a high-profile case that began after his troubled son assaulted a teenager and was imprisoned in a separate trial. 

Rafael, who resigned from his position in the Finance Ministry before the trial began, has amassed tens of billions of rupiah from taxpayers who paid his consulting firm registered under different persons, the court heard.

The firm helped taxpayers reduce their tax payment, in a conflict of interest to Rafael’s duties in the Tax Directorate.

During the hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court, Presiding Judge Suparman Nyompa ordered Rafael to return Rp 10 billion ($644,000) in stolen money to the state coffers, or else his assets will be seized and his jail time will be added by another three years.

The repayment should be made within a month after his verdict is declared final and binding.

In an earlier hearing, prosecutors demanded the defendant return Rp 18.9 billion to the state.

However, the panel of judges cited his decades of service in the Finance Ministry as a mitigating factor.

“A factor in determining leniency is the defendant’s 30 years of service as a civil servant,” Judge Suparman said. The prison sentence, however, is consistent with the prosecution's demand.

Rafel was only one step away from being promoted to the head of a Jakarta tax office when the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named him a suspect in March.

The graft investigation followed media and public inquiry about his family lifestyle after his son Mario Dandy assaulted a teenager and sent the victim to a coma in a gruesome video that went viral on social media platforms.

Mario is currently serving his 12 years’ imprisonment for the February 20, 2023 assault and facing another indictment for allegedly abusing his underage girlfriend.

The Finance Ministry also launched a separate probe into Rafael’s alleged unclaimed assets and recommended his dismissal, prompting his resignation.

His legal woes deepened when prosecutors cited his wife, Ernie Meike Torondek, as a co-conspirator in the crime.

During the opening hearing in August, prosecutors said that Ernie played an active role in the criminal activities, even though she has not yet been formally identified as a suspect.

Since 2015, Rafael has purportedly acquired at least 70 luxury branded bags for his wife, amounting to Rp 1.6 billion, according to the indictment. These bags feature renowned brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Gucci.

In 2008, the couple established the financial consulting firm Cubes Consulting, and four years later, they launched the construction company Bukit Hijau Asri.

In 2022, they established the consulting firm Artha Mega Ekadhana, with Ernie serving as the chief commissioner. The company engaged a tax consultant to assist corporate clients in resolving tax disputes with the government, which prosecutors deemed a clear conflict of interest given Rafael's profession.

"Since May 2002, the defendant, along with Ernie Meike Torondek, has allegedly accepted bribes totaling Rp 16.6 billion," prosecutors told the court at that time.

According to the indictment, Rafael used the illicit funds to purchase a Toyota Land Cruiser for his troubled son at a price of Rp 2.1 billion in 2020.

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