Govt to sue convicted corruptors

Govt to sue convicted corruptors

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With a vast amount of embezzled state funds remaining lost
despite the imprisonment of some of the corruptors, the Attorney
General's Office plans to file civil suits against convicted
corrupters who have not returned the stolen funds.

During a press conference on Friday, Deputy Attorney General
for Special Crimes Sudhono Iswahyudi said: "We are considering
filing civil lawsuits against the convicts to pay fines and
compensate for their crime."

Despite their convictions, most of which have been lenient,
most high-profile corruptors have not returned the embezzled
money to the state.

In the past, any amount returned was very small as the
Attorney General's Office had never pursued the matter until now.

In its anticorruption drive, the government has vowed to claim
state money stolen by convicted corruptors in a bid to reduce
state losses.

The Attorney General's Office will also try to trace the
convicts' assets abroad, Sudhono said.

"We have set up a joint team consisting of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the National Police, the Ministry of Justice and
Human Rights to trace the money," he said.

The press conference -- on the achievements of the Attorney
General's Office in 2004 -- was attended by Attorney General
Abdul Rahman Saleh, Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence
Basrief Arief, acting deputy attorney general for general crimes
Harprileni Ellen BS and spokesman RJ Soehandoyo.

The Attorney General's Office is currently discussing
technical matters with institutions such as the central bank and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to trace the assets of
corruptors.

According to Sudhono, his office also expects to accelerate
talks over possible extradition treaties with other countries,
particularly those deemed popular destinations for Indonesian
corruptors who fled abroad, particularly Singapore.

Among the biggest financial scams tackled by the Attorney
General's Office are those involving the embezzlement of Bank
Indonesia liquidity support funds involving some Rp 144.5
trillion (US$16 billion).

The money, which was disbursed by the government in the wake
of the 1997/1998 financial crisis, was intended to help private
banks cope with runs. However, much of the money was misused by
the bankers.

Despite lengthy prosecutions, many of the bankers have been
acquitted or have fled abroad. Those found guilty were given
lenient sentences. To date, only a little of the embezzled money
has been returned.