GULF TIMES, 30 November 2009
Indonesia’s state prosecutor will drop a widely condemned case against two anti-graft officials, a deputy attorney general said yesterday, citing the need for greater harmony between the various law enforcement agencies.
The case against Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, two deputies at the Corruption Eradication Commission (or KPK), has prompted widespread public anger at police and state prosecutors, and has embarrassed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by raising questions over his commitment to sweeping reforms.
It has also highlighted a bitter power struggle between the respected KPK, which has been at the forefront of the fight against corruption, and the police and attorney-general’s office.
Hamzah and Rianto were accused of bribery and abuse of power, and detained, but an independent investigation last month found police had insufficient evidence against them and that officials in the police and attorney-general’s office had tried to frame the two.
The president responded by promising to tackle legal reform and asked the police and state prosecutors to drop the case, but it has still taken several days for the attorney-general’s office to heed Yudhoyono’s request, leading to mounting public frustration.
Marwan Effendy, deputy attorney general for special crimes, said that state prosecutors from South Jakarta would issue letters on Tuesday to stop the case, adding that the move was intended “to maintain harmony among the various legal institutions, the KPK, the attorney-general’s office, and the police, in order to eradicate corruption”.
Source: GULF TIMES
Indonesia’s state prosecutor will drop a widely condemned case against two anti-graft officials, a deputy attorney general said yesterday, citing the need for greater harmony between the various law enforcement agencies.
The case against Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, two deputies at the Corruption Eradication Commission (or KPK), has prompted widespread public anger at police and state prosecutors, and has embarrassed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by raising questions over his commitment to sweeping reforms.
It has also highlighted a bitter power struggle between the respected KPK, which has been at the forefront of the fight against corruption, and the police and attorney-general’s office.
Hamzah and Rianto were accused of bribery and abuse of power, and detained, but an independent investigation last month found police had insufficient evidence against them and that officials in the police and attorney-general’s office had tried to frame the two.
The president responded by promising to tackle legal reform and asked the police and state prosecutors to drop the case, but it has still taken several days for the attorney-general’s office to heed Yudhoyono’s request, leading to mounting public frustration.
Marwan Effendy, deputy attorney general for special crimes, said that state prosecutors from South Jakarta would issue letters on Tuesday to stop the case, adding that the move was intended “to maintain harmony among the various legal institutions, the KPK, the attorney-general’s office, and the police, in order to eradicate corruption”.
Source: GULF TIMES
