Rizal Malik's Blog
My stories, my thoughts, my world.

Another Jammed

Teten sent this text message yesterday (my translation):

“Report on corruption indication at BRR jammed (“macet”) at Aceh Provincial Attorney office. And there was BRR fund in the amount of Rp 780mil (Jan-Jun 07) for Provincial Attorney Office reform (which include honoraria 10-20 million each for 10 people). We suspect that this issue related with why these cases have never been prosecuted”.

Apparently the text was sent to the Attorney General with cc. to me.

Reform of the Indonesian legal and judicial system is clearly needed. TI’s Global Corruption Report 2007 has put this as an urgent agenda. Various survey, the latest one is TI-Indonesia corruption perception index survey, shows that the legal institution (including judges, prosecutors and police) is perceived as the most corrupt Institutions in Indonesia. Next to it is the political parties and parliament. When I was with the Partnership, we supported the implementation of the Attorney General Office reform blue print, and funding a part of those including the establishment of AGO reform working group and the operation of Prosecutors Independent Commission (Komisi Kejaksaan).

BRR is also known as the corrupt institution. When I did BRR integrity assessment, at the request of its Executive Director, in February 2007, it is clear that they lack of safe guards to prevent corruption. As the independent assessor, TI-Indonesia did those with our own funding to avoid conflict of interests; we recommended few changes to strengthen the integrity system of BRR. One of those is clearly law enforcement to deter the corrupt practices.

BRR mandate is rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh after Tsunami 2004. Legal reform is not in their mandate. It is justifiable if BRR support the reconstruction of Provincial Attorney Office hit by tsunami. But providing additional income to the senior attorneys is clearly bribery, or buying favour for their own interest. Both are corruption, and criminal offence in Indonesian legal system. The Attorney General should investigate this case and remove the attorneys involved from BRR case. This is clearly the time to show the Attorney General commitment to eradicate corruption in his office.

2007-11-28 23:25:31 GMT

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