Legislators say regulation-in-lieu-of-law on corruption court “not urgent”

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 07/02/2009 10:36 PM  |  Presidential Election

Legislators say it is “not urgent” for the government to issue a regulation-in-lieu-of-law on corruption court simply because the House of Representatives may not pass the bill into law as scheduled this year.

Chairwoman of the House's special committee deliberating the corruption court bill, Dewi Asmara, from the Golkar Party, said Thursday at a press conference in Jakarta that the police and the Attorney General’s Office had sufficient authority to investigate corruption cases.

“It’s very essential for the government to utilize those institutions,” she said, perhaps unaware that Transparency International (TI) had recently named the police Indonesia’s most corrupt state institution.

“So there’s no need for a regulation-in-lieu-of-law to be issued. Even if the government decides to issue such a regulation, that doesn’t mean the House will approve it.”

The Constitutional Court ruled in 2006 that the establishment of the current Corruption Court had violated the Constitution.

It also ordered the government and the House to enact a new law to provide a firm legal basis for the Corruption Court by December 2009, otherwise the court would have to be dissolved and hand its cases over to district courts.

Transparency International Indonesia (TII) chairman Todung Mulya Lubis said he doubted the House would be able to pass the bill into law on time.

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