Latest news with #Tannos'
Online Citizen
3 days ago
- Online Citizen
Singapore court rejects prosecutors' bid to strike out fugitive Indonesian's CPIB allegations
SINGAPORE: A district court on 28 May rejected an application by the prosecution to strike out portions of affidavits submitted in the bail hearing of Indonesian fugitive Paulus Tannos. The affidavits, said to contain allegations against Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), were not disclosed in court. Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on 17 January 2025 by the CPIB following a provisional arrest request from Indonesian authorities. He has been on Indonesia's wanted list since 19 October 2021 for his alleged role in a massive corruption scandal involving the Indonesian government's electronic identification card (e-KTP) project, which resulted in estimated state losses of 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$181.7 million). Tannos was the president and director of Sandipala Arthaputra, a technology firm awarded a contract to produce components for the e-KTP project. According to the Straits Times, Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy told the court on 27 and 28 May that Tannos' defence counsel had requested permission on 15 May to file an affidavit related to his hospitalisation at Changi General Hospital (CGH) between 2 and 9 May. The court granted the request, and two affidavits were submitted—one by Tannos and another by his lawyer, Paulus Sinatra Wijaya. However, Sivakumar argued that both affidavits went beyond the scope permitted. He said parts of Tannos' affidavit addressed his past interactions with the Indonesian authorities and the CPIB, in response to points raised by a CPIB investigating officer regarding his status as a potential flight risk. Sivakumar added that these matters had already been addressed during an earlier bail hearing, and legal arguments had been made on the same issues. On 28 May, Tannos' defence lawyer Bachoo Mohan Singh objected to the prosecution's application to strike out the affidavits. 'I've never come across a scenario where, when a man is fighting for his liberty, he is constrained from saying what he wishes to say,' said Singh. Addressing District Judge Brenda Tan, he added: 'I would not be doing my job if I were to ignore important issues which I consider vital in my client's effort to seek liberty.' He said the defence had no objection to the prosecution filing a response. After hearing both sides, Judge Tan rejected the prosecution's application. 'I'm inclined to leave the further affidavits in the application on record in the interest of justice and completeness, and give the state a chance to respond to this,' she said. However, she told Singh: 'To be fair, you have put in contents which you were not given permission to, so the state has a right of reply.' Separately, Judge Tan referred to a CGH medical report that had been submitted earlier, noting that she personally knew the senior consultant who signed off on it. She asked whether either side had concerns with her presiding over the bail hearing. Both Singh and the prosecution said they had no issue. At the conclusion of the hearing, Tannos again declined to consent to extradition to Indonesia. Under the Extradition Act, fugitives can give consent and waive extradition proceedings. Singapore received Indonesia's provisional arrest request on 19 December 2024. Following a joint assessment by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), authorities determined that the request fulfilled the conditions set out in the extradition treaty between both countries. A warrant was subsequently issued and executed on 17 January 2025. Indonesia followed up with a formal extradition request on 24 February. On 10 March, Minister K. Shanmugam confirmed that Singapore was working to expedite the extradition process and reiterated the country's full commitment to upholding its extradition obligations. The Singapore–Indonesia extradition treaty, which came into force on 21 March 2024, covers offences including corruption, money laundering, and bribery, and allows for the retroactive application of the treaty to crimes committed up to 18 years ago. A committal hearing to determine whether Tannos should be extradited to face charges has been set for June.
Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Straits Times
AGC looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM AGC looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB SINGAPORE – The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) 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 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. Mr 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. Mr 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. Mr Sivakumar said the AGC was applying for this affidavit and portions of the other one to be struck out and disregarded. One of Tannos' lawyers, Mr 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. Mr Sivakumar said he brought this issue up on May 27 so that if the AGC '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 the AGC had any issue with her being the judge for the bail hearing. While both parties said they had no issue with it, Mr 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. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
27-05-2025
- The Star
Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. - Photo: Screengrab from 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
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Straits Times
Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB
Indonesian Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM Prosecution looks to strike out fugitive Indonesian's evidence containing allegations against CPIB 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 May 27, Deputy Senior State Counsel Sivakumar Ramasamy told the court a defence counsel representing Paulus 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 Mr Paulus Sinatra Wijaya. Mr Sivakumar said these were beyond the scope of what the court had allowed. He said parts of Tannos' own affidavit covers 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. Mr Sivakumar said these were covered in an earlier bail hearing and legal arguments had been made on these issues. The state counsel said there was no permission for the second affidavit, which also covered Tannos' interactions with Indonesian authorities and CPIB. Mr 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 this. 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. Mr 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 will 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, Mr Malik asked if he could discuss this with Tannos. District Judge Tan agreed for the issue to 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 ID card or e-KTP project. The graft scandal caused state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$180 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. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
