T

he Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), which is pushing to revise the much-criticized witness and victim protection law, will hold an international seminar on protecting whistle-blowers in Jakarta next week.

Among the speakers at the two-day seminar, which will be held from July 19-20 at Aryaduta Hotel, are Dr. Jan. H. Crijns from Leiden University, Fausto Zuccarelli, deputy attorney general of Naples, Italy, and David McDowell from the Australian Federal Police, organizers said Friday.

“Each speaker will discuss concepts, regulation, security and incentives for whistle-blowers,” event chairman Teguh Soedarsono said Friday.

LPSK chief Abdul Haris Semendawai said the seminar was expected to conclude with recommendations to protect whistle-blowers.

“The LPSK and the dudicial mafia taskforce expect that the outcome of the seminar will be able to improve the 2009 Witness and Victim Protection Law,” he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono recently voiced support for the revision of the law to grant whistle-blowers more incentives to expose crime and fight graft.

The LPSK last week submitted a draft of the revision of the law to the President. The bill is expected to be handed over to the House of Representatives for deliberation next year.

The international seminar is also supported by other institutions, including the Judicial Mafia Taskforce (PMH), Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), Law and Human Rights Ministry, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

DOJ representative Susan Keogh said the DOJ would send officials to speak at the seminar on the basic rights given to whistle-blowers. “Our speakers will also talk about how to handle [organized] crimes,” she said.

Judicial mafia taskforce secretary Deny Indrayana said whistle-blowers should receive remission. “Currently, whistle-blowers do not receive any remission while corruption convicts do,” he said, referring to the Agus Condro case.

Condro, a former member of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was one of several politicians found guilty of accepting bribes in the form of traveler’s checks linked to the 2004 election of the Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor.

Condro reported the case to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2008, disclosing fellow politicians’ involvement in the graft case. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail, three months less than fellow convict Willem Tutuarima. (aaa)