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KPK screening team to consult police
A newly established committee tasked with selecting commissioners for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it will involve the antigraft body itself, along with the National Police and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), for background checks on candidates for the positions
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newly established committee tasked with selecting commissioners for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it will involve the antigraft body itself, along with the National Police and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), for background checks on candidates for the positions.
The team says background checks are crucial to determine whether candidates for the KPK commissioner jobs had criminal records that could compromise their roles once they were elected.
The recent ouster of sitting KPK commissioners Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, during the standoff between the National Police and the KPK in March, brought into question how thoroughly a previous independent team had conducted background checks in 2011, although many believed that criminal charges against Abraham and Bambang were engineered as part of a vendetta against the two for their decision to name Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a bribery suspect in January.
'In addition to our own background check efforts, we will also ask them [the three institutions] to find dubious records. We will make sure they are screened thoroughly. The three institutions lead the antigraft campaign in the country, so harmonious relations between them is important,' team member Yenti Garnasih told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Since the KPK's establishment in 2004, it has engaged in three standoffs with the National Police, every time after the commission launched a probe into graft cases involving police generals.
In each standoff, the police dug up past criminal cases to prosecute active KPK commissioners.
'All records from the standoff, including the recent one, will become the target of our evaluation when selecting prospective candidates.
'The team's task is difficult, but we will ensure that we try to reduce potential conflicts in the early stages of the selection process by thoroughly examining the leadership quality of the candidates in addition to their professional track records,' Yenti said.
The team's spokesperson Betti S. Alisjahbana said on Thursday that the team would invite the three law enforcement institutions' chairmen to a discussion on Friday to get their opinions on the upcoming selection process, slated to kick off on June 4.
'We are inviting a number of institutions including the KPK. The discussion will help us refine the criteria for candidates,' Betti told the Post on Thursday, adding that the meetings would take place at the State Secretariat on Friday.
Betti said the team would also seek opinions from the National Police, the KPK and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) regarding frequent standoffs involving the police and the antigraft body.
'We will know how to prevent future conflicts in the selection stage after we hear their sides of the story,' Betti said.
Contacted separately, acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi and PPATK deputy chairman Agus Santoso said that the two institutions were ready to give their opinions but both had yet to receive an invitation.
'I have not received any information [about the invitation],' Agus said on Thursday.
The team, which consists of nine female experts from various backgrounds, moved to invite the KPK to a discussion following a recent call from antigraft activists and former KPK commissioners criticizing President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo for failing to include former KPK leaders or advisors on the team.
The committee will also invite individuals from past selection teams.
Akhiar Salmi, a criminal law expert from the University of Indonesia who was on the team that selected KPK leaders in 2011, praised the committee's plan.
