House must draw up witness protection program: Activists
House must draw up witness protection program: Activists
JAKARTA (JP): Activists are urging the House of
Representatives to include a witness protection program in the
antigraft bill to encourage the public to report corruption.
Executives of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and the
independent Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) told a special
committee deliberating the bill that "the whistle-blowers on
alleged corruption should be freed from all legal charges.
"The bill also should clearly stipulate that the personal
safety of the witnesses will be fully protected," the groups said
in a statement on Friday.
Activists said earlier that a witness protection program was
urgently needed because of past experiences of harassment of
people who came forward with corruption allegations.
The groups also said the bill should provide for the
establishment of an independent antigraft commission, equipped
with the authority to investigate and prosecute public officials
accused of abuse of power.
They added that members of the commission should be appointed
by the House and be accountable to it to ensure their
independence.
"The commission should only be an ad hoc body to handle
certain cases when the people are in doubt about the independence
of law enforcement bodies," the statement said, an apparent
reference to the police and the Attorney General's Office.
Under Lt. Gen. Andi M. Ghalib, the Attorney General's Office
has been accused of deliberate foot-dragging in the investigation
into allegations that former president Soeharto illicitly amassed
a multibillion dollar fortune during his 32-year rule.
Ghalib, whose rank was equivalent to minister, temporarily
vacated his post in June after ICW accused him of corruption,
saying it possessed evidence he accepted money from leading
businessmen under investigation by his office.
It was the first time in decades that a community group forced
a minister from office.
Under Soeharto, Indonesia gained a reputation as one of the
most corrupt countries in the world, with bribes and payoffs a
regular fixture of living and doing business in the country.
The government said last month Ghalib would be tried in a
military court if proof of corruption was found.
However, there has been no clear progress in the
investigation.
Proreform leaders have aired doubts that the government would
take firm action against Ghalib, saying he would escape any legal
consequences as long as President B.J. Habibie's administration
remained in power.
They said a thorough investigation into Ghalib's case would be
tantamount to breaking a dam, as cases involving other government
officials also would be uncovered.(byg)