AGO mulls protecting graft whistleblowers

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In a bid to accelerate investigations into high-profile corruption cases, the Attorney-General is considering granting immunity to whistleblowers who help uncover graft.

Abdul Rahman Saleh said during the weekend that the measure was deemed necessary in order to get "bigger fish" involved in graft cases.

"We could stop prosecutions against one whistleblower, but prosecute other bigger cases," he told The Jakarta Post.

Since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took office in October last year, the government has launched a campaign against the widespread corruption in the country with many high-ranking government officials investigated for graft.

The Attorney General's Office (AGO), however, has come under heavy criticism for its seeming unwillingness to go ahead and prosecute many of these cases, delays which its officials claim are due to suspects covering for each other and because a general lack of evidence; even in cases worth billions of rupiah.

"Without providing immunity to whistleblowers, it will be difficult for law enforcers to uncover graft cases and prosecute all of those involved," Abdul Rahman said.

Two whistleblowers -- Endin Wahyudin and Maria Leonita Sri Chandra Harumi-- were convicted in 2002 and 2003 respectively for their roles in a bribery case involving judges and court officials. However, the officials and judges implicated in the case were later acquitted of any wrongdoing.

Abdul Rahman said the AGO was currently completing a regulation to provide guidelines as to when to give immunity to whistleblowers.

"We will complete it in the coming weeks."

The move was authorized by Law No. 16/2004 on prosecutors, and acknowledged by the 2000 United Nations Convention against Corruption, he said.

That convention also backed the idea of plea bargaining for defendants who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, Abdul Rahman said.