TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia’s Publish What You Pay (PWYP) National Coordinator, Maryati Abdullah, said that the practice of tax evasion by hiding wealth by owning shell companies in tax havens is a moral crime. “They do not pay taxes that can be used for public purposes,” she said in a discussion on the Paradise Papers at Warung Daun, Cikini, Jakarta, Saturday, November 11, 2017.

Maryati’s statement in response to financial documents containing data on the owners of shell companies in tax havens owned by law firm Appleby and Asiaciti Trust, which were leaked to the public. The document, called the Paradise Papers, lists the names of Indonesian citizens, including politicians.

It is usual for a shell company to have ownership in tax havens. However, the practice is often associated with hiding wealth and avoiding taxes.

Furthermore, Maryati assessed that the government needs to follow up the Paradise Papers to provide obedient taxpayers justice. This step can also restore and increase people’s trust in the Directorate General of Taxes as a tax manager.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati had previously stated that she would monitor the Paradise Papers document. The government will take advantage of the international network to trace it.

Maryati said the public would highly anticipate the results of the investigation. “But I think now we are patiently waiting for the results for the next two or three months,” he said.

Deputy II of the Presidential Staff Office, Yanuar Nugroho, also asked the public to wait for the government’s investigation results. “It is only a few days after the document was released, and the Ministry of Finance is on the move,” he said.

Member of Commission XI, the House of Representative Hendrawan Supratikno, said it was not easy to track down the vast number of Paradise Papers documents. He spoke through his experience as the Bank Century supervisor. “It is difficult to trace Century’s assets alone,” he said.