Several KPK candidates questionable, NGO says
Several KPK candidates questionable, NGO says
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Coalition of the Judiciary Observers has lashed out at the
committee selecting candidates for seats on the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK), for choosing figures with
questionable track records.
Asep Fajar Purnama of the coalition said at least half of the
40 candidates who qualified for the next selection stage were
known to have close relations with allegedly corrupt high profile
figures or convicts.
One of the qualifiers, Asep said, is a prosecutor-turned-
lawyer, who is now representing House Speaker Akbar Tandjung in
his appeal to the Supreme Court.
Akbar was convicted of graft and sentenced to a three year
prison term by the Central Jakarta District Court, a verdict
which has been upheld by the Jakarta High Court.
Another dubious qualifier, a former prosecutor, had been
dismissed for violating the code of conduct.
"How come they passed those candidates, while respected
candidates failed simply because their essays were considered to
be poor?" Asep said. "Writing an essay is a debatable requirement
as candidates could ask someone else to do it for them."
The selection committee had earlier promised to refuse
candidates linked with corruption cases, or who were suspected
corruptors.
Asep said the selection committee had failed to listen to the
public. Moreover they seemed to lack the motivation to check
candidates' records.
"They only wait for public response. Why didn't they seek
records from the Public Officials Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN)
or the National Land Agency (BPN)?" Asep said.
KPKPN will be dissolved after the KPK is established.
However, Asep acknowledged that the selection committee had
picked some reputable candidates, including chairman of the
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) Erry Riyana
Hardjapamekas, Partnership for Governance Reform activist Bambang
Widjojanto, lawyers Iskandar Sonhadji and Abdul Ficar Hadjar, and
legal expert Achmad Ali.
Earlier this week, 40 out of 218 candidates vying for posts on
the commission, passed the second screening. Their names were
published for public scrutiny.
Committee chairman, Romli Atmasasmita, had called on the
public to respond to the selection process.
The remaining aspirants are required to undergo a personal
assessment test on Dec. 1, and an interview, which is open to the
public, on Dec. 8. The committee will finally choose five people
to sit on the KPK executive body.
According to Law No 30/2001 on the Corruption Eradication
Commission, the KPK executive board must be inaugurated by the
President by Dec. 27, this year.
The government has taken more than two years to form the
anticorruption commission. Many critics say this is a reflection
of its lackluster fight against corruption.
KPK is dubbed a "super body" for its authority to investigate
corruption cases and prosecute alleged corrupters, powers that
are currently the privilege of the police and prosecutors. KPK is
also authorized to take over the investigation of corruption
cases from the police and prosecutors.