Wealth commission in uphill battle with councillors

Wealth commission in uphill battle with councillors

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) plans to
report seven Jakarta city councillors, including a brother-in-law
of President Megawati, to the city police for not reporting their
wealth, a commission executive said on Friday.

"We have sent warning letters two times to the councillors and
will send the third letters next Monday," the commission's deputy
chairman for legislative affairs Abdullah Hehamahua told
reporters.

Abdullah said the commission would file a report to the police
10 days after the third letter is sent (Dec. 26) if the
councillors had not responded by that time.

According to the commission's list, the seven councillors,
include Santayana Kiemas, who is the brother of Megawati's
husband Taufik Kiemas, and Lambertus Gainadara from the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

The others are Tubagus Abas Soleh Makmun and Mohamad Ishak
from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Nazamuddin and Edy
Suchro of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Saud Rahman of the
United Development Party, who died several months ago.

KPKPN apparently was not aware of the passing of Edy.

According to the law, the commission has the right to
investigate the officials' wealth but prosecution is to be
handled by the police.

If it is found that the wealth was gained through corruption,
the officials could be dismissed and face trial.

However, as of this week, the position of KPKPN has gotten
considerably weaker as the House of Representatives approved a
bill which will disband the commission and set up an entirely new
Anti Corruption Commission, which will start from scratch and
effectively negating all the background work that KPKPN has done
for the last few years.

KPKPN will be disbanded when the Anti Corruption Commission is
set up within a year after the House's approval, which occurred
last week.

The liquidation of KPKPN is widely believed to be due to the
commission's strong, honest investigations into the wealth of
state officials and politicians.

On Dec. 4, the commission reported Attorney General M.A.
Rachman to the National Police headquarters after they found
evidence of serious irregularities with the country's top law
enforcement official.

Weeks before reporting to the police, KPKPN had grilled
Rachman for allegedly trying to cover up several valuable assets,
including a luxurious mansion in Jakarta. Rachman is still in
office and refuses to step down, while Megawati, who appointed
him has said she would not ask him to step down.

But many doubt that the police will take KPKPN's report very
seriously since the police will eventually have to hand over all
criminal dossiers to the Attorney General's Office while Rachman
remains the boss and all his deputies have sworn their loyalty to
him personally, apparently in lieu of what any law says.

Police also need to get presidential permission to investigate
Rahman, or ask for the Minister of Home Affairs approval if they
want to investigate city councillors. So the process could still
take a very long time.

Abdullah said on Friday that KPKPN also found that the wealth
of the 78 councillors of the city's 85 councillors who had
submitted their reports had sharply increased.

"The councillors claimed that the wealth was secured
'according to procedures'. But we will recheck them," Abdullah
said without mentioning details of the wealth.