Soon after his arrival here on Wednesday afternoon, the independent police investigators questioned rogue tax official, Gayus Tambunan. Chief of the police detective unit Commissioner General Ito Sumardi said Tambunan, wanted for corruption and money laundering, was questioned at the office of the police operations deputy.

Along with members of the Judicial Corruption Task Force, Sumardi secured the safe return of Tambunan from Singapore by Garuda Indonesia plane on Wednesday. Tambunan had been a fugitive of the Indonesian police and task force since March 24 but surrendered voluntarily to police personnel while dining with members of his family at a restaurant in Singapore.

Speaking to journalists here, Sumardi said the independent police investigators set up by the police chief to uncover the judicial corruption case operate professionally. The success in bringing Tambunan back home was the result of sound coordination among the police, task force, and immigration authorities, he said.

The task force secretary, Denny Indrayana, said Tambunan’s return to Indonesia was expected to accelerate the law enforcers’ efforts to reveal the judicial mafia cases. "This case is expected to be revealed sooner because we have got all key witnesses, namely Andi Kosasih, Haposan Hutagalung, and Gayus Tambunan," he said.

Indrayana said he believed in the police investigators’ professionalism and integrity in handling the Gayus Tambunan case. For the suspect, he urged him to contribute to the revelation of his case by telling his investigators about all things needed for crushing the judicial mafia networks.

Earlier on the day, Denny told ANTARA about the chronology of Gayus Tambunan’s surrender. Tambunan surrendered to a joint team of the Indonesian police and the task force when he was dining at an Asian Food Court at Lucky Plaza, Singapore, on Tuesday evening.

During his hiding in the city state, he and his family reportedly moved from one hotel to another but the last hotel that he and his family stayed in was Meritus Mandarin Hotel. At that time, Indrayana said that he and Mas Ahmad Santosa, member of the task force, happened to have dinner at the same restaurant at 08.30 pm local time.

"Seeing Gayus Tambunan, we immediately call Chief of the Indonesian police detective unit Commissioner General Ito Sumardi to inform him on Tambunan’s whereabouts," he said. At the meeting with the suspect, the task force and other Indonesian police officers asked him to become cooperative and willing to return to Indonesia to stand trial, Indrayana said.

Tambunan’s case came under the spotlight after the police named him suspect in connection with a suspicious Rp25 billion bank account in his name. Following the discovery of the irregularity in the investigation of the case the police then set up a special team of investigators.

Tambunan left Indonesia the country for Singapore on March 24 after securing a passport with false data. It was former chief detective Commissioner General Susno Duadji who was the first person to disclose the case.

In connection with Tambunan’s case, the police had also arrested a lawyer and a police officer. Haposan Hutagalung, who was Tambunan’s lawyer from June 8 to September 1, 2009, and Police Commissioner Arafat are in police custody since Monday night.