Indonesian fugitive fails in latest bid to challenge extradition proceedings in Singapore
The 72-year-old is in remand awaiting court proceedings.
Indonesian businessman Paulus Tannos, wanted in his home country for alleged corruption involvement, has been denied a second attempt to block his extradition from Singapore. A High Court judge dismissed Tannos' latest legal challenge on August 17, ruling his arguments against the extradition request invalid. The 72-year-old permanent resident sought bail, disclosure of documents, and Indonesian expert testimony during proceedings.
Tannos was arrested in January 2025 by Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau following an extradition request from Indonesia, stemming from a $165 million loss due to the government's e-KTP electronic ID card project. He remains in remand waiting for a decision on committal proceedings. Tannos had previously sought bail due to health concerns, but his requests were denied, as the Singapore Prison Service deemed his medical conditions manageable and he posed a flight risk.
Additionally, he tried to seek judicial review of the Singapore Law Minister’s authority to allow extradition hearings. The High Court dismissed his claims, finding insufficient evidence of reasonable suspicion for granting these remedies. In the current application, Tannos challenged the extradition request on the grounds of document translations' accuracy and reliability.
He argued that two documents, an Indonesian and an English-language one, contained material differences affecting their legal impact, and that the Indonesian document lacked an authenticated translation. Tannos, self-represented, claimed his case warranted bail due to alleged inaccuracies in the documents and improper authority of its signer, Nurul Ghufron, vice-chairman of Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency.
However, the prosecution contended that bail is only granted for juveniles, those with serious health issues, or when the requesting state opposes it. They argued Tannos' bail request was an attempt to revisit previous decisions and was procedurally irregular. Justice Aidan Xu ruled that proper procedure is crucial for clear rule application and power derivation, dismissing Tannos' procedural irregularities.
The judge noted Tannos' uncertainty about the documents' translations, stating that such matters would be addressed during the committal hearing. Tannos did not qualify for bail under the Extradition Act's limited circumstances.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
