Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau

The Star

27-05-2025

Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. - Photo: Screengrab from KPK.GO.ID
SINGAPORE: The prosecution wants to strike out portions of affidavits submitted in a fugitive Indonesian man's bail hearing said to contain allegations against the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Paulus Tannos was arrested on Jan 17 by CPIB over corruption allegations in Indonesia, where he had been on its fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021.
On Tuesday (May 27), Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy told the court that defence counsel representing Tannos had on May 15 asked for permission to file an affidavit to tender facts in relation to his admission to Changi General Hospital (CGH) between May 2 and 9.
After the court allowed this, two affidavits were submitted – one from Tannos and another from a lawyer named Paulus Sinatra Wijaya.
Sivakumar said these were beyond the scope of what the court had allowed.
He said parts of Tannos' own affidavit cover his past interaction with the Indonesian authorities and CPIB, replying to points made by a CPIB investigating officer on the issue of him being a flight risk.
Sivakumar said these were covered in an earlier bail hearing and legal arguments had been made on these issues.
He said there was no permission for the second affidavit, which also covered Tannos' interactions with Indonesian authorities and CPIB.
Sivakumar said the prosecution was applying for this affidavit and portions of the other one to be struck out and disregarded.
One of Tannos' lawyers, Hamza Malik, said this was the first time the defence had been notified of the matter.
He asked the court that the application be heard at the start of the bail hearing on May 28, so they could take Tannos' instructions.
Sivakumar said he brought this issue up on May 27 so that if the prosecution's application to strike out those parts were not allowed, then it would get permission to file a reply affidavit as Tannos' affidavits contained allegations against CPIB which had to be addressed.
He did not specify what these allegations were.
District Judge Brenda Tan said she would hear the application on May 28.
Separately, the judge referred to a CGH medical report that had been tendered earlier.
She said she knows the senior consultant who signed off the medical report and asked if the defence and prosecution had any issue with her being the judge for the bail hearing.
While both parties said they had no issue with it, Hamza asked if he could discuss this with Tannos.
District Judge Tan agreed that the issue could be addressed on May 28.
Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was president and director of Sandipala Arthaputra, a technology company awarded a contract to produce part of the Indonesian government's electronic identification card, or e-KTP project.
The graft scandal caused state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$181.7 million).
Tannos is believed to have been living in Singapore since 2012.
He was arrested here after the Indonesian government made a provisional arrest request against him.
As Tannos fights to be released on bail, a date has been set in June for his committal hearing, which would determine whether he should be extradited to face charges.
At the hearing on May 27, he again refused to give consent for him to be extradited to Indonesia.
Under the Extradition Act, fugitives can give consent to their extradition and waive extradition proceedings.
Indonesia put in a formal extradition request for Tannos on Feb 24.
The extradition treaty between Singapore and Indonesia took effect on March 21, 2024.
It grants extradition for a list of offences, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, and can be retrospectively applied to crimes committed up to 18 years ago. - The Straits Times/ANN