Task Force to bite back Gayus's accusation

JAKARTA - The Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force will not back down and confront tax evasion and corruption defendant Gayus Tambunan over his incriminating allegations about it, a spokesman said. "I state that task force members with all the facilities given to them will not back down," task force member Mas Achmad Santosa said when met at the presidential compound here on Wednesday. Gayus , a former tax official, was sentenced to seven years for tax evasion and corruption on Wednesday. After the court session Gayus made a statement accusing the task force of having played a big role in the investigation that led to his conviction. He made the statement in response to a questions about Gayus's statement. Gayus had said the task force knew about the process of his departure to and return from Singapore. He also accused the task force of telling that some of his money came from Bakrie Group. Gayus also stated that the task force knew about the role of a CIA agent in his case. Mas Achmad said the meeting between him, Gayus and another task force member Denny Indrayana in Singapore some time ago happened following an invitation from the National Police's chief detective Com Gen Ito Sumardi. He said the task force was invited to Singapore to take Gayus back to Indonesia. Before the meeting in Singapore, Mas Achmad and Denny went out to buy hats. They then by accident met with Gayus when they would buy food. Mas Achmad said he and Denny then persuaded Gayus to return to Indonesia. "If he claims that the meeting with the task force members in Singapore was engineered it means he is accusing the police of having done it," he said. Mas Achmad denied that he had received directives from Ito Sumardi before meeting with Gayus. The secretary of the task force, Denny Indrayana, earlier declined to give much comment on Gayus's statement. He just said "it is not true" when asked if he was the one that had asked Gayus to state that some of his money came from Bakrie Group. Denny had asked time to study Gayus's statement. Only after that would he give his response.