Plan to sign UN anticorruption pact applauded<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An observer has welcomed the government's plan to sign the United
\nNations Convention against Corruption, saying that only with a
\nstrong commitment to implementing the pact will it possible to
\nsignificantly improve the country's sluggish drive against
\nwidespread corruption.<\/p>\n
Frans Hendra Winarta, a member of the National Law Commission
\n(KHN), said on Thursday that the adoption of the convention would
\nsupport the country's campaign to reduce corruption.<\/p>\n
"This convention does not provide for an international
\ntribunal for corruptors. However, it offers an opportunity to
\nlimit the room for corruptors to flee justice and to ensure that
\nthe money they stole can be returned to their home countries," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The new convention, which covers corruption in both the
\nprivate and public sectors, highlights the requirement of members
\nstates to return assets obtained through corruption to the
\ncountry from which they were stolen.<\/p>\n
Frans said this provision was important as corrupt officials
\nwould in the future find fewer ways to hide their illicit gains.<\/p>\n
"The country of origin of a corruptor may ask the country
\nwhere the corruptor launders his money to recover its funds. At
\nthe same time, it may also ask the other country to extradite the
\ncorruptor back home," he said.<\/p>\n
The request must be backed up by sufficient, such as documents
\non the prosecution of the corruptor from the court and
\ninvestigation reports from the police or prosecutors.<\/p>\n
The convention also obliges member states to periodically
\nevaluate their legal instruments and administrative requirements
\nto ensure their effectiveness in preventing corruption.<\/p>\n
A member state must also have an independent body to prevent
\ncorruption and guarantee that this body and the public are given
\naccess to information.<\/p>\n
According to the convention, a member state must criminalize the
\nmost prevalent forms of corruption -- such as giving, offering or
\nreceiving bribes -- in both the public and private sectors.<\/p>\n
"In fact, Indonesia has adequate regulations and laws against
\ncorruption as required by the convention. What we need is
\ncommitment and hard work in implementing these," Frans said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is expected to sign the convention next month in
\nMexico and ratify it next year. The convention will come into
\neffect 90 days after 30 member states have signed it.<\/p>\n
Corruption is all-pervasive in Indonesia, despite the reform
\nmovement that followed the downfall of president Soeharto in
\n1997. One of the targets of this movement was corruption.<\/p>\n
However, the reform movement was in the end hijacked by the
\nsame corrupt politicians it was originally targeted at.<\/p>\n
Consequently, no significant results have been achieved to
\ndate. Recently, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Indonesia
\nat 60 (out of a total 102 countries surveyed) in terms of
\nbusiness competitiveness.<\/p>\n
According to the forum, rampant corruption and an ineffective
\nbureaucracy are the two most important factors behind the
\ncountry's low business competitiveness rating.<\/p>",
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