AGO criticizes media attacks on prosecutors

Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 07/06/2009 8:37 AM  |  National

Angered by increasing media criticism, spokesman for the General Attorney’s Office (AGO) Jasman Pandjaitan attacked media hype against prosecutors.

Jasman scolded reporters in a media gathering in Cibodas, West Java, recently: “Let us go straight to the point tonight. I keep wondering why you journalists are always keep scrutinizing prosecutors. As if there is no chance for us to stand with our heads up. We are always wrong for you. Why is that?,” he half-shouted.

He questioned the wide media  attacks on the promotion of prosecutors Kemas Yahya Rahman and Muhammad Salim, both tainted with the graft case which landed their fellow prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan a ten year jail sentence.

The press also focused on prosecutor Rakhmawati Utami who had accused Prita Mulyasari of violating the controversial Information and Electronic Transaction Law. Prita has been sentenced to six years  jail and fined Rp 1 billion, but was later acquitted of all charges.

Jasman gave these cases as examples of his efforts to get media hype under control and to repair the tarnished image of the AGO’s office.

Although the meeting was arranged to improve relations between officials and journalists working with the AGO’s office, Jasman’s comments created a frosty climate.

This improved when Attorney General Hendarman Supandji praised media comments on problems with prosecutors which he said provided useful references.

“I really appreciate media criticism. They are a living proof for us prosecutors that the public are waiting for significant improvements from us,” he said.

Despite a bad press on some prosecutors, Hendarman claimed he had achieved  major changes in line with internal reforms of the AGO’s office since 2007, the year he replaced his predecessor Abdurrahman Saleh.

These reforms included Attorney General’s decrees on recruitment of prosecutors, career management, education and training programs, code of ethics for prosecutors, and minimum standards for new prosecutors and monitoring.

Hendarman explained he has reviewed the recruitment system and  improved  the educational curriculum at the prosecutor training center. For example psychological profile tests would now be applied before candidates were declared fit and proper to be prosecutors.

AGO has previously announced that from January to April this year, it has managed to mobilize Rp 7.2 trillion,  Rp 3.5 trillion of which was confiscated from graft cases and the funds have been paid of the state.  

“Of course we still don’t achieve everything as of today, but trust me the AGO is going in the right direction. It is just a matter of time before the AGO proves itself,” he said.

However, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) criticized that AGO spokesman had scolded journalists, saying media and prosecutors were on different sides. Attacking the press would damage the AGO.

Febri Diansyah, a researcher with Indonesian Corruption Watch said  the real picture was not as rosy as Hendarman’s success story.

“The facts are the other way around. Hendarman says he has focused on monitoring career development, but what happened with Kemas and Salim looks a different picture from here,” he said Friday.

He said Hendarman’s decision to reinstate Kemas and Salim as supervising prosecutors for graft cases had undermined public trust. “This lack of public trust shows there is no serious internal reform taking place in AGO up to now,” he said.

ICW, had recorded several controversial decisions during Hendarman’s tenure. In  2007 and 2008 surveys by the University of Gajah Mada with the Partnership for Governance Reform and Transparency International Indonesia alleged  that the AGO’s office  was an integral part of corruption in the  judiciary.

Febri said he suspected political motives behind Hendarman’s success story to win public support for wage increases for prosecutors.

Hendarman said in his closing statement to the gathering that the government would raise the AGO’s budget to Rp 10 trillion in 2009 from the current Rp trillion to improve the performance of the AGO, mainly of prosecutors.

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