Singapore Working With Indonesia On Extraditing Fugitive Businessman

Shanmugam says process will take longer as the man intends to contest extradition

- David Sun

Singapore has received a request from Indonesia to extradite a fugitive businessman over corruption charges, the first such request since a treaty between both countries came into force.

Paulus Tannos, also known as Tjhin Thian Po, is an Indonesian businessman in his 60s who was arrested here on Jan 17 over his alleged involvement in a corruption case in Indonesia.

Indonesia put in a formal extradition request on Feb 24, said the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) in a statement on March 10.

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.

Tannos has been implicated in a major graft scandal involving the Indonesian government's electronic ID card or e-KTP project, allegedly causing state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$187 million).

He was the president and director of Shandipala Arthaputra, a technology company awarded a contract to produce part of the e-ID cards.

He has reportedly been on Indonesia's fugitive list since Oct 19, 2021, and is believed to have been living in Singapore since 2017.

During a press conference on March 10 about the extradition request, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said Singapore takes the matter very seriously, and that the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) will try to expedite the process.

Tannos has lawyered up and intends to contest the extradition, Mr Shanmugam said, adding that the process may take two years or more.