PT Wanatiara Tax Scandal, KPK Urged to Drag Intellectual Actors Behind IDR 60 Billion Tax ‘Discount’

Viralterkini.id – The smell of conspiracy in the alleged tax audit bribery case at the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) for the 2021-2026 period is getting stronger.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is now being urged not only to target “accomplices”, but also to drag out the intellectual actors behind the reduction in PT Wanatiara Persada (WP)’s tax value which reached tens of billions of rupiah.

This spotlight comes from Legal Practitioner and Coordinator of the North Maluku Activist Association, Yohanes Masudede. He considered that the determination of new suspects from elements of corporate leadership was a fixed price for the sake of legal justice.

Budget Anomaly: Tax “Discount” of IDR 60 Billion

This case emerged after it was detected that there was a drastic reduction in PT Wanatiara Persada’s Land and Building Tax (PBB) obligations in 2023. Initially, the nickel mining company was predicted to have an underpayment obligation of IDR 75 billion.

However, after “negotiations” with tax officials, this figure dropped to only IDR 15.7 billion.

“There is a difference of around IDR 60 billion lost from potential state revenue. This is not a small amount. The Corruption Eradication Commission must reveal who ordered this bargaining. It is impossible for such a big decision to be made only at the field officer level,” said Yohanes in his statement, Wednesday (28/1/2026).

Questioning the Status of the Sole Corporate Suspect

So far, from PT WP, the KPK has only named Edy Yulianto (EY) as a suspect. Yohanes views this as an anomaly in the construction of corporate law.

According to him, EY, who is a field officer, does not have the financial capacity or policy authority to disburse bribe funds to cut company taxes.

“The law must be enforced indiscriminately. The Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) has questioned the Director of PT WP, Chang Eng Thing, as well as other leaders. Logically, the flow of money for bribes must be approved by high-ranking officials. We urge the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to have the courage to name new suspects from the board of directors,” he continued.

Strong Evidence from the Search

The steps taken by KPK investigators have actually shown significant progress. During a search at the DJP head office and PT WP office on January 12-13, investigators succeeded in confiscating:

Crucial documents and electronic evidence.

Cash in foreign currency amounting to 8,000 Singapore Dollars.

The examination of key witnesses, including DJP’s Director of Audit and Collection Arief Yanuar and PT WP’s financial staff, is expected to be the entry point to uncovering the command structure behind the bribery.

Mass Action at the Red and White House

As a form of monitoring the case, Yohanes confirmed that his party would hold a large-scale demonstration in front of the KPK’s Red and White Building in the near future. This action aims to pressure anti-corruption agencies so that they are not afraid to face the power of large corporations.

“We will not remain silent and watch North Maluku’s natural wealth being exploited, while its tax obligations are manipulated through bribery. The Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) must clean up its roots,” concluded Yohanes.

Until this news was uploaded, there had been no official statement from the management of PT Wanatiara Persada regarding the push for an increase in legal status for its top officials. (**)