KPK appeals for foreign aid

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Mandated with the formidable mission of cleansing rampant corruption across the country, the newly established Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has appealed for assistance from foreign donors due to a lack of funds from the government.

KPK chairman Insp. Gen. (ret) Taufiequrahman Ruki revealed on Thursday that the commission had met with representatives from a number of foreign donor agencies, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Foundation and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), to talk about the issue.

"We are asking for a grant. We don't need cash, but technology and training for our staff," Ruki told reporters during a press conference attended by colleagues Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, Amien Sunaryadi, and Sjahruddin Rasul at his office.

Ruki said the two-month-old KPK badly needed technology such as bugging devices in order to build strong evidence against suspected corruptors.

Without strong evidence, Ruki said, the courts would easily reject cases filed by the KPK, something that the commission seeks to avoid as "it will absolutely undermine our credibility".

Law No. 30/2003 on KPK allows the commission to tap conversations of suspected corruptors, to be used as hard evidence in court.

"We understand that we are supposed to eradicate corruption with our own resources. But, we also realize that our domestic resources are limited. At the moment, we have a number of friends from the international community who are offering assistance," he said without going into detail.

Ruki said that training was mandatory for KPK staff in a bid to gain the necessary expertise in order to arrest, charge and prosecute corruptors.

The government has yet to allocate an annual budget for the commission. Ruki disclosed that the government had not yet paid the salaries of the KPK leadership.

"We are digging into our own pockets to hire secretaries, drivers and security guards," he said.

The government has "lent" nine police personnel, six prosecutors, 15 administrative personnel from the State Secretariat and two from the justice ministry. There are also several "volunteers", he said.

For the last two months, the government has paid for the commission's daily operations including telephone and electricity bills. To date, the KPK runs its operations from the former office of the now-defunct Supreme Advisory Council (DPA).

Ruki said he expected the government to allocate some Rp 90 billion a year for the commission in the first year as it must procure a lot of equipment to set up the office and recruit staffers.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has proposed a budget of Rp 12 billion per year for the KPK.

The staff recruitment, which is conducted by a professional company, is expected to start in April.

Ruki said the commission was having trouble determining the remuneration for the staff, who must have credibility to ensure they are not tempted by bribes.

So far, the commission has compiled 103 corruption cases filed by the public. It has reviewed 38 among them and as many as 18 cases have been transferred to either the police or the Attorney General's Office.

Another five cases are likely to be reviewed by the KPK, Amien said. However, he did not name the cases.