Picks for antigraft body down to final ten
Picks for antigraft body down to final ten
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The names of the final 10 candidates for the high-powered
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) were submitted to
President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday, more than one month
after the selection process started in early October.
However, noted anticorruption activist Bambang Widjojanto,
whom many had expected to gain a seat in the commission, was
obviously absent from the list, suggesting that he failed to pass
the interview on Friday, when selection committee members looked
into the track records of each candidate.
"We began our work to select these candidates in October and
considered public views at every stage (of the selection process)
to finally come up with these 10 names," Romli said after meeting
President Megawati.
The final 10 are Mohammad Yamin, Marsilam Simandjuntak,
Chairul Imam, Yaufiequrachman Ruki, Tumpak H. Panggabean, Momo
Kelana, Iskandar Sonhadji, Sjahruddin Rasul, Erry Riyana
Hardjapamekas and Amien Sunaryadi.
"We had many aspects to consider before determining the names
of final 10 candidates late last night," Romli said.
However, the exclusion of Bambang, who is also chairman of
Indonesian Corruption Watch's (ICW) board of ethics, threw into
question the credibility of the whole selection process.
Reliable sources within the selection committee told The
Jakarta Post on Saturday that Bambang was excluded from the list
after a long, heated debate among committee members.
The exclusion of Bambang from the list had caused a rift among
the selection team members, as some considered Bambang eligible
to be in the commission.
Several team members, however, rejected Bambang, who is also
former chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI),
on the grounds that he did not have the qualities needed for a
state official.
Romli declined to elaborate on the reasons why Bambang was
excluded from the nomination, saying only that he did not meet
the requirements.
The President will submit the 10 names to the House of
Representatives, which will select five names as KPK commission
members. Megawati is slated to submit the names to the House on
Dec. 12 at the latest.
The names of five selected candidates will be sent back to the
President for approval before they are sworn in as KPK leaders.
The commission should be established by Dec. 27 at the latest.
Under the current anticorruption law, the KPK has the
authority to investigate, seize assets and prosecute suspected
corrupters. It may also take over investigation into corruption
cases closed by the Attorney General's Office.
CANDIDATES FOR THE CORRUPTION COMMISSION
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NAMES CURRENT PROFESSION
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Mohammad Yamin Prosecutor
Chairul Imam Prosecutor
Marsillam Simandjuntak Former attorney general
Taufiequrachman Ruki Public Servants' Wealth Audit
Commission (KPKPN)
Tumpak H. Panggabean Prosecutor
Iskandar Sonhadji Lawyer and activist
Sjahruddin Rasul Supreme Audit Agency
Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas Activist
Amien Sunaryadi KPKPN
Momo Kelana KPKPN
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