Antigraft bill submitted

JAKARTA (JP): Despite its foot-dragging probe into a number of alleged corruption cases involving former president Soeharto, his family and his cronies, the government submitted a bill on Thursday to amend an anticorruption law to the House of Representatives.

Minister of Justice Muladi said, "Corruption crimes must be eradicated so that a just, prosperous and orderly Indonesia can materialize," Antara reported.

Indonesia enacted the Law on the Eradication of Crimes of Corruption in 1973. Another existing law relating to corruption is the No. 11/1980 Law on Bribery and the Criminal Code.

Over two weeks ago, the government submitted another bill on clean governance which would require government officials to declare their wealth before and after their terms end.

The previous bill submitted was said to be an "administrative law", while the latest will deal with corruption as a crime.

On Thursday, Muladi said the bill was drafted to strengthen existing laws on corruption, which was conducted in sophisticated ways now and hard to investigate. The bill also sought to assert more deterrent effects on violators, thus, restoring foreign trust in law enforcement here, Muladi said.

He said corruption could lead to environment hazards, abuse of drugs, smuggling of destructive weaponry and tax evasion.

Corruption, which among others could lead to an economic crisis, he said, "will eventually lead to a loss of public trust." The most dangerous kind of corruption was that committed by law enforcers and security apparatus, he added. (aan)