Government, House agree on anticorruption commission<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government and House of Representatives
\n(DPR) agreed on Thursday to establish within the next two years
\nan independent commission to eradicate corruption.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice Muladi said after attending a plenary
\nHouse session to endorse the bill on arbitration that the
\nagreement was reached to meet the increasing public demand.<\/p>\n
\"The commission will be only formed in the next two years to
\ngive the government time to prepare. We need two years to conduct
\na comparative study on job description and performance of other
\nsuch commissions in countries abroad,\" Muladi said.<\/p>\n
It is expected to take the government another six months to
\npromote the law, the minister said.<\/p>\n
At the plenary session, the House unanimously passed the bill
\non arbitration into law and started deliberating the media bill.<\/p>\n
Former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad, who chairs the
\nIndonesian Transparency Society (MTI), urged the government on
\nTuesday to immediately set up the commission.<\/p>\n
He said a tight recruitment should be applied to place the
\nright people in the commission.<\/p>\n
Muladi said the independent commission would comprise National
\nPolice and Indonesian Military personnel, attorneys, law experts
\nand accountants.<\/p>\n
\"The commission will have a subcommission in charge of
\ninvestigation which will be handled by the Police and others
\ndealing with prosecution, which will involve prosecutors,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said the commission members would be selected by the House,
\nand must be approved by the President as the head of state.<\/p>\n
\"But, it remains undecided whether to place the commission
\nunder supervision of the President or the House.\" Muladi said,
\nadding that the government would learn from other countries which
\nhave already set up such a commission.<\/p>\n
The minister said the government would revise the 1991 law on
\nlaw governing attorneys and the 1970 law on military tribunals to
\ngive the commission full authority in handling corruptions
\ninvolving both civilians and servicemen.<\/p>\n
\"With the amendment, both the Attorney General's Office and
\nthe Military Tribunal will no longer have the authority to
\nprosecute people charged with corruption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The commission will cooperate with the National Police and the
\nAttorney General's Office in handling complicated cases, added
\nMuladi.<\/p>\n
Asked about the investigation into the former first family's
\nalleged corruption, Muladi said he wrote to the Austrian and
\nSwiss governments through their embassies in Jakarta, asking them
\nto conduct a preliminary inquiry into the Soehartos' and the
\nformer president's friends' alleged fortunes in those two
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
He said the letters also authorized the two governments to
\nexamine deposits with significant amounts belonging to other
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Selection of local and foreign private detectives to
\ninvestigate the Soehartos' wealth is still underway, according to
\nMuladi.(rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-house-agree-on-anticorruption-commission-1447893297",
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