Indonesia signs regional anticorruption agreement
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia signed on Wednesday an agreement with Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore that might help it arrest high-profile corruptors who flee to the neighboring countries.
However, the agreement, which was initiated by Indonesia, does not outline specific steps for the arrest and extradition of suspects, but merely discusses capacity building and information exchanges among the countries' antigraft agencies.
Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Taufikurrahman Ruki, Malaysia's Anticorruption Agency director general Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor, Brunei's Anticorruption Bureau head Datin Paduka Dayang Hajah Intan bin Haji Md and Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau chairman Chua Chen Yak represented their respective countries at the signing ceremony.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who witnessed the signing, said international cooperation was necessary to fight corruption and money laundering.
"The government of Indonesia is very concerned about the anticorruption drive. We have formed many (anticorruption) agencies, enacted legislation to fight corruption and boost the antigraft campaign, but we also need international cooperation," the Vice President said.
Kalla promised that Indonesia would extradite corruption suspects arrested in the country.
"That is what the agreement is for. We also ask our neighbors to hand over Indonesian corruption suspects hiding in their countries," he said.
Commenting on the agreement, Mat Noor said Malaysian antigraft agency was eager to improve its cooperation with Indonesia.
"All I can say is that we are willing to cooperate (with Indonesia)," he said on the sidelines of the ceremony.
However, the head of the Singapore antigraft body, Chua, said that despite the agreement Singapore could not extradite graft suspects to Indonesia because the two countries did not have an extradition treaty.
"Our agency's position is the same as (that of) the prime minister. It has not shifted yet," he said, referring to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Numerous Indonesian corruption suspects are thought to have fled to Singapore, bringing with them billions of dollars.
Ruki said the signatories to the agreement, which is open to the national anticorruption agencies of all ASEAN member countries, agreed to implement the antigraft pact in accordance with their domestic laws.
The agreement is meant to establish and strengthen collaboration in the fight against corruption.
This cooperation could include information exchanges and technical assistance in field operations.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to get tough on corruption in an attempt to lure back foreign investment.