JP\/6\/prosecutor<\/p>\n
Justice and corruption merry bedfellows at AGO
\nor
\nKKN in the justice system starts with recruitment process<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
An indictment leading to a conviction is supposed to be the
\nmain goal of prosecutors in any justice system. Unfortunately,
\nhowever, only a few prosecutors here have the wherewithal or the
\nmotivation to arrange comprehensive indictments in a bid to bring
\na defendant to justice.<\/p>\n
Most prosecutors commonly present obscure indictments, which
\nlack details, against a defendant. And it is not uncommon for a
\nprosecutor to present a piecemeal or plagiarized indictment
\nbefore a trial.<\/p>\n
For example, prosecutors presented last week a six-page
\nindictment against the former director of the now defunct Bank
\nIndustri, Oemarjoedi and the bank's former president
\ncommissioner, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who were both charged with
\nviolating banking laws.<\/p>\n
Hashim's defense lawyers, in contrast, presented a 19-page
\nobjection and requested the Central Jakarta District Court to
\nsuspend the case since the indictment was inadequate.<\/p>\n
A junior prosecutor told The Jakarta Post recently that most
\nof the time he and his colleagues simply put together the
\nindictments by copying previous ones made by others in similar
\ncases.<\/p>\n
\"We usually just change the details, like names, locations and
\ntimes. That's right, we're lazy,\" said the prosecutor, who
\nrefused to be identified, with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Junior prosecutors usually handle cases such as petty street
\ncrimes.<\/p>\n
Many legal observers linked the prosecutors' apparent lack of
\nprofessionalism to their original recruitment, which is notorious
\nfor nepotism, corruption and collusion (popularly known by the
\nlocal acronym KKN). The recruitment is conducted each year by the
\nprosecutors' offices in the provinces and at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office (AGO) in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The latest recruitment process here began in November. It
\nresulted in the hiring of 56 candidates among 3,000 applicants in
\nMarch. They underwent a series of tests, including an academic
\ntest, a psychological test and an interview at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office.<\/p>\n
Aditya, not his real name, shared his experience about the
\nrecruitment.<\/p>\n
\"After I passed the psychological test, a middle ranking
\nemployee told me that he could help me by assuring that I would
\npass all the remaining tests. He then asked for Rp 30 million for
\nthe 'help',\" he said, while adding that he was fresh law school
\ngraduate from a highly respected university.<\/p>\n
Aditya refused the offer because his family could not afford
\nit. Along with him, there were over 100 applicants left for the
\nfinal round of testing.<\/p>\n
\"I failed, even though I successfully answered all the
\nquestions from the deputy attorney general during the interview.
\nI'm sure it's because of the money,\" he said in disappointment.<\/p>\n
Another applicant, Ratna, not her real name, confirmed that
\nmoney is not the only thing that matters in the recruitment.<\/p>\n
\"I passed the tests because my father is a prosecutor in
\nSumatra. Still, my father had to give some cash to his friends
\nhere to assure my place,\" she told the Post.<\/p>\n
Antonius Sujata and Suhadibroto, both former deputy attorney
\ngenerals, asserted that the Attorney General's Office and the
\nprovincial prosecutor's offices must change the recruitment
\nprocess because it was highly prone to collusion, nepotism and
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
\"The recruitment process is manipulated. They won't be able
\nto get the best qualified candidates,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The only recruitment test handled by an institution outside
\nthe prosecutors' offices is the psychological test.<\/p>\n
But Antonius said that the recruitment committee could reject
\napplicants even if they passed the psychological test. \"It's
\nbecause the recruitment is not transparent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Both Antonius and Suhadibroto had once suggested hiring an
\nindependent institution to take care of the entire process.<\/p>\n
\"...My suggestion was neglected, and the same process
\ncontinues today. I can only say that there are many vested
\ninterests that come into play in the recruitment process,\" he
\ncryptically alleged.<\/p>\n
Should the Attorney General's Office and provincial
\nprosecutors' offices continue with this seriously flawed system
\nof recruitment, the country would face great difficulties in
\npursuing the necessary legal reforms, Antonius lamented.<\/p>",
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