RI to sign UN anticorruption pact

RI to sign UN anticorruption pact

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia is slated to sign the new United Nations Convention
against Corruption in Mexico in December, expecting that it would
strengthen the country's drive against rampant and prolonged
corruption.

Romli Atmasasmita, who chairs the selection committee for
members of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said the
convention would help the country establish an international
network to eradicate corruption.

"The convention confirms that corruption is a transnational
phenomenon and that international cooperation to prevent and
control it is mandatory," he told reporters recently.

International corruption watchdogs have consistently rated
Indonesia as one of the world's most corrupt countries.

Corruptors, Romli said, often fled with money they had stolen
in a certain country to another country and launder or invest
their ill-gotten wealth there.

"International cooperation is a must, particularly to
investigate the case, bring the corruptors to justice as well as
retrieve state assets that have been laundered abroad," he said.

Indonesia has often faced difficulties in its attempts to
arrest alleged corruptors who flee abroad, let alone to get the
state assets back.

Several high-profile convicted and suspected corruptors in the
country have fled abroad to escape prosecution, including Hendra
Rahardja, who escaped to Australia where he died on Jan. 26 of
this year.

Hendra was jailed for life for stealing Rp 1.95 trillion of
taxpayer money distributed to two of his banks under the Bank
Indonesia Liquidity Assistance program during the economic crisis
in 1997.

Indonesia has no extradition treaty with Australia, which
after Hendra's death offered Jakarta some US$120 million of his
assets there.

Another alleged corruptor, Sjamsul Nursalim, fled to
neighboring Singapore for medical care. The government is still
unable to investigate his case.

Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has repeatedly
complained about Singapore failing to act against several
Indonesian corruptors who fled to the country.

Singapore has no extradition treaty with Indonesia.

Romli said that some countries would possibly decide not to
sign the convention.

"But, if they do that, it would be clear which country is
supporting corruption," he said, adding that Indonesia was
expected to ratify the convention next year.

Some 30 countries are set to sign the convention in Mexico.

It introduces a comprehensive set of standards, measures and
rules that all signatories can apply. It calls for preventive
measures and the criminalization of the most prevalent forms of
corruption in both the public and private sectors.

However, its major breakthrough is requiring member states to
return assets obtained through corruption to the country from
which they were stolen.