Djoko Tjandra

Tjandra was born on 27 August 1951 in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, to Tjandra Kusuma (father) and Ho Yauw Hiang (mother). He has seven siblings.

He is married to Anna Boentaran and they have three daughters: Joanne Soegiarto Tjandranegara, Jocelyne Soegiarto Tjandra and Jovita Soegiarto Tjandra.

When he was 17, Tjandra traveled to Irian Jaya (now Papua province), where in 1968 he opened a grocery store named Toko Sama-Sama in the provincial capital, Jayapura. In 1972, he opened a shop named Papindo in Papua New Guinea. He opened a distribution business in Melbourne in 1974. In 1975, he founded PT Bersama Mulia, a contracting company, in Jakarta. Three years later, as an expert for PT Jaya Supplies Indonesia, he gained projects from state oil company Pertamina, state electricity company PLN and the Industry Ministry. Over 1979–81, he developed Belawan power plant in North Sumatra, expanded an oil refinery in Balikpapan, developed a Hydrocracking Complex in Dumai, an oil refinery in Cilacap, and Kaltim fertilizer in Bontang, East Kalimantan.

In 1983, he entered the property sector, developing office blocks. Among his projects were Lippo Life building, Kuningan Plaza and BCA Plaza. He was also involved in the development of Mal Taman Anggrek, which was once the largest mall in Southeast Asia.[1]

Tjandra was a key figure in the Mulia Group, which started as PT Mulialand, founded in the early 1970s by Tjandra Kusuma (Tjan Boen Hwa) and three of his children: Eka Tjandranegara (Tjan Kok Hui), Gunawan Tjandra (Tjan Kok Kwang) and Djoko Tjandra. Mulialand is involved in construction and property. The luxury properties it developed include Mulia Senayan Hotel, Wisma Mulia, Menara Mulia, Wisma GKBI, Menara Mulia Plaza 89, Plaza Kuningan, and Taman Anggrek apartments. On 5 November 1986, Mulia Industrindo, was founded. It has manufacturing subsidiaries in glass and ceramics.

On 11 February 1999, Tjandra attended a meeting at his Hotel Mulia in Jakarta to discuss efforts by Bank Bali to collect Rp904 billion owed by three banks taken over by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA). Tjandra was present in his capacity as director of Era Giat Prima, a company which collected a commission of Rp546 billion for IBRA releasing the funds. Some Rp274 billion of the commission money was transferred to Tjandra's account at BNI Kuningan, while part of the money was transferred to Indonesian officials and legislators.[2]

After news of the "Baligate" scandal broke in late July 1999, Tjandra was investigated by the police and the Attorney General's Office. He was detained on 29 September 1999 and later placed under house arrest. He went on trial at South Jakarta District Court on 9 February 2000, charged with corruption for "arranging and engaging in illegal transactions". Prosecutors demanded an 18-month sentence, but he was acquitted on 6 March 2000, with the deputy presiding judge ruling the case should have been heard by a civil court.[3] On 31 March 2000, Jakarta High Court ordered South Jakarta District Court to examine and try Tjandra. He went back on trial in April 2000 and was acquitted on 28 August 2000. Judges said although the prosecutor's indictment of Tjandra's actions was proven legally, the action was not a criminal offense but a civil action. Prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld Tjandra's innocence in a ruling on 26 June 2001.

In October 2008, the Attorney General's Office filed for a Supreme Court judicial review of Tjandra's acquittal. The day before the verdict was handed down, Tjandra on 10 June 2009 flew on a chartered plane from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. On 11 June 2009, the Supreme Court gave Tjandra a two-year prison sentence. He was later declared a fugitive.[4]

In March 2016, Tjandra's wife Anna Boentaran visited Indonesia's Constitutional Court and applied for a judicial review of Article 263, Chapter 1, Law No.8 of 1981 on the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP). On 12 May 2016, the Constitutional Court granted her request, withdrawing the Criminal Code article that had allowed prosecutors to request a review of a court decision with permanent legal force.[5][6]

After that decision, then-Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo was called to a meeting by chief security minister Wiranto, who wanted him to study a recommendation to clear Tjandra from his legal entanglement. Prasetyo declined to arrange amnesty for Tjandra.[7]

Djoko Tjandra visited Port Moresby on 27 February 2009 and was granted an APEC Business Travel Permit. On 21 October 2010 he was granted a three-year Working/Employment Resident Permit by the PNG Embassy in Jakarta. On 25 August 2011, he was granted Permanent Resident Permit by then Foreign Affairs Minister Ano Pala. In October 2011, he lodged an application for citizenship by naturalization. On 29 April 2012, he was granted PNG citizenship by Ano Pala, even though he did not meet constitutional requirements and his name was on the Interpol Red Notice Alert as a wanted fugitive.[8]

On 4 May 2012, Tjandra received his first PNG passport. On 7 May 2012, he applied for another passport, which was issued under a new name as Joe Chan. He also changed his date of birth to 27 September 1963. Another PNG passport was issued to "Joe Chan" on 20 January 2014.

According to Interpol, he was in possession of an Azerbaijan passport, which was reported stolen on 24 June 2005.

On 29 June 2020, Indonesian Attorney General S.T. Burhanuddin said Tjandra had been in Indonesia for the past three months. He said Tjandra had on 8 June filed a case review against his conviction. Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly said immigration data showed no record of Tjandra returning to Indonesia.[9] On 2 July 2020, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud M.D. said he had ordered the Attorney General's Office to immediately arrest Tjandra.[10] Mahfud later said police informed him that Tjandra's name had been taken off Interpol's list of fugitives in 2014 because the Indonesian Attorney General's Office had never requested an extension.[11]

Tjandra managed to obtain an electronic identity card (e-KTP) issued on 8 June 2020 by South Grogol Village in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. The card was used in the submission of his request for a judicial review of his two-year jail sentence. South Grogol Urban Village head Asep Subhandi said the card was issued within less than one hour, after he was contacted by Tjandra's lawyer on 3 June 2020.[12] Tjandra was also issued with a new Indonesian passport on 23 June 2020.[13]

Tjandra was scheduled to appear at South Jakarta District Court on 7 July 2020 for his case review hearing, but he did not show up. His lawyer, Anita Kolopaking, claimed he was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, being treated for an undisclosed illness.[14] Indonesian Immigration spokesman Arvin Gumilang insisted there was no record of Tjandra having flown to Malaysia.[15] On 29 July 2020, South Jakarta District Court rejected Tjandra's case review request.[16]

On 30 July 2020, Tjandra was arrested in Malaysia and sent back to Indonesia, after 11 years on the run.[17] In August, he was sent to Jakarta's Salemaba jail to begin serving his sentence.[18] Police named him a suspect for allegedly bribing police and document forgery.[19]