16 anticorruption commission candidates chosen for shortlist

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Anticorruption watchdog leaders are among the 16 candidates of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders who will undergo the final selection assessments on Thursday.

Romli Atmasasmita, the selection committee chairman, announced on Tuesday the last 16 candidates who were shortlisted from 29 people who underwent a series of administrative, capability and integrity evaluations.

Transparency International Indonesia chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, anticorruption lawyers Iskandar Sonhadji and Bambang Widjojanto, senior prosecutor M. Yamin, and members of the State Official Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) Chairul Umam and Momo Kelana were on the list of the last 16 candidates announced by the selection committee chairman Romli Atmasasmita on Tuesday.

"They qualified based on their performance, track record and experience (in combating corruption). We have no other interests," he told reporters, without elaborating on the parameters used by the selection committee to whittle down the number.

During the final evaluation day on Thursday, the KPK selection committee will select 10 candidates, who will be presented to the President for approval on Saturday.

The president, who has no right to veto the selected candidates, is expected to submit the names to the House of Representatives on Dec. 12. It will be the House that will choose the final five members of KPK, which will have to start working by Dec. 27.

The interviews of the 16 candidates at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on Thursday will be open to the public.

Separately, the Coalition of the Judiciary Observers criticized the committee for picking several candidates with questionable track records for the short list.

"We don't know how or why they picked a candidate who was dismissed as a prosecutor due to ethical problems," Asep Rahmat Fajar lamented.

The coalition was also shocked that several candidates were picked who had a host of irregularities on their wealth reports last year, prosecutors who have dropped charges under suspicious circumstances against corruption defendants as well as those who have links to the political elite.

"About half of the (remaining 16) candidates are not fit to sit on the body," Asep said, expressing his pessimism that the selection committee would manage to submit credible candidates to the President.

Despite its criticism, the coalition supported the selection committee's promise to choose only the best candidates Megawati's perusal.

"If they manage to only select seven candidates, so be it," Asep said.

The establishment of KPK, which has been postponed several times since 1999 due to the government's failure to comply with the law on corruption eradication, is expected to help the country curb corruption.

KPK is dubbed a "super body," as its authority will include investigation and prosecution of corrupters, which is currently the sole domain of the police and prosecutors.

It will also have the authority to take over the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases from the police and prosecutors.

No significant achievements have been made since the students began their campaign against corruption, collusion and nepotism at the beginning of the reform movement in 1998.

Indonesia has regularly been recognized internationally as one of the world's most corrupt countries.

The survey by Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) has rated corruption index in Indonesia at 1.9, out of possible 10.

KPK executive body candidates current job

1. Abdul Rani Rasyid state auditor

2. Insp. Gen. (ret) Momo Kelana KPKPN member

3. Sjahruddin Rasul finance ministry official

4. Chairul Imam KPKPN member

5. Asikum Wirataatmadja auditor

6. Iskandar Sonhadji lawyer

7. FX. Hery Sumanta prosecutor

8. Moh. Yamin prosecutor

9. Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas NGO activist

10. Bambang Widjojanto NGO activist

11. Juni Sjafrien Jahja prosecutor

12. Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean former prosecutor

13. Listianto private company executive

14. Marsilam Simanjuntak former attorney general

15. Taufiequrachman Ruki former House member

16. Amien Sunaryadi private auditor