March 2, 2023
JAKARTA – Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a middle-ranking tax official who gained notoriety after his son’s lavish lifestyle was exposed on social media, went to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office on Wednesday to clarify the sources of his wealth.
Rafael, wearing a black jacket, arrived at the KPK headquarters at 8 a.m.
“Yes, the person in question came to the KPK Merah Putih building,” KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri told reporters on Wednesday.
The KPK said that Rafael, who served as head of the general affairs division at one of the tax offices in Jakarta, was questioned on the grounds that his wealth report did not match his profile as an echelon III official, which is typically the rank of officials with positions below director general (echelon I) and director (echelon II).
“His wealth report is in question because it turns out that his assets don’t match his salary. [We summoned him] to clarify [his] income,” KPK deputy head Alexander Marwata told reporters on Tuesday.
In his wealth report (LHKPN) submitted to the KPK in December 2021, Rafael listed a total wealth of Rp 56 billion (US$3.66 million), rivaling that of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani’s Rp 58 billion and far outpacing Taxation Director General Suryo Utomo, an echelon I official who listed a total wealth of Rp 14 billion.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) had long detected suspicious transactions involving Rafael. The financial intelligence agency had reported its analysis on these transactions to “the KPK, the Supreme Court and the Finance Ministry’s inspectorate general” long before the dubious transactions emerged to the public.
KPK commissioner Pahala Nainggolan previously said that his office had investigated Rafael’s wealth based on the PPATK’s report.
The controversy surrounding Rafael’s wealth rose after his 20-year-old son Mario Dandy Satrio was arrested by the police on charges of assaulting the 17-year-old son of a member of GP Ansor, the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
Pictures of Mario showing off his lavish lifestyle proliferated across social media in the ensuing days, which led to deeper scrutiny of Rafael’s sources of wealth by the public.
Public condemnation was swift after the case went viral. Prasetiya Mulya University announced that it had expelled Mario from its program on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Rafael announced his resignation from his job as a civil servant after being removed from his position by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, albeit the Taxation Directorate General has yet to issue an official statement. (ahw)