KPK to report ignorant officials to the police
KPK to report ignorant officials to the police
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) warned both former
and new state officials, including ministers and legislators, to
declare their current wealth as soon as possible, unless they
will face police arrest.
Deputy KPK chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said on Tuesday
the commission had set Nov. 1 as the deadline for former and new
lawmakers and Nov. 20 for former and new Cabinet members.
"If they ignore the deadline, we will report them to the
police," Erry said.
Law No. 28/1999 on clean governance and Law No. 30/2002 on the
KPK requiring state officials to submit wealth reports one month
after their inauguration and completion of their terms.
Although the laws do not carry sanctions, Erry said the police
can consider the failure to declare their wealth on time a crime.
"Our stance is clear anyway. Ignoring their obligations to
submit wealth reports here is a violation of the anticorruption
laws," he asserted.
Some 8,000 of 12,000 former legislative members across the
country have submitted their wealth reports to the commission as
of Oct. 6. The commission has yet to announce the number of new
legislative members who have followed suit.
Erry confirmed that none of members of the United Indonesia
Cabinet or their predecessors under former president Megawati
Soekarnoputri had met the requirement as of Tuesday.
On Friday, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi said President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered his 34 ministers to complete and
submit their wealth reports within one week.
The commission sent the wealth forms to the State Secretariat
on Oct. 19, one day before the inauguration of Susilo as the
president.
In his first speech after assuming power, Susilo took
corruption eradication a priority and said he himself would lead
the movement.
"We have deployed our staff members to work 24 hours a day to
help the ministers complete the forms if need be," Erry said,
However, none of the ministers have sought help from the
commission, he said.
Asked whether the commission would report ignorant ministers
to the police should they fail to submit their wealth reports on
Friday, Erry said: "In accordance with the law they still have
three weeks to go."
The requirement for state officials to submit wealth reports
to the commission is aimed at maintaining transparency and
monitoring possible irregularities.
The commission will examine and publish the wealth reports in
a bid to get input from people who know of possible
irregularities in the officials' wealth reports.
The KPK will publish the wealth reports with the officials'
consent.
"We will announce publicly whoever refuses to have their
wealth reports published," Erry said.