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AGO supports House's move to erode KPK's power
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Close talk: President Joko 'Jokowi' WIdodo (left) talks with Attorney General HM Prasetyo (right) on the sidelines of an event at the State Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 26, 2016. (Antara Photo/Yudhi Mahatma)
T
he Attorney General's Office (AGO) has thrown its support behind the House of Representatives’ move to scrap the powers of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Attorney General M. Prasetyo on Monday signaled the AGO’s support for the House in its bid to revoke the KPK’s prosecution powers.
If successful, this would mean that only the AGO would have the full authority to decide whether or not a graft case should be taken to the prosecution stage.
(Read also: House grills KPK over seized assets)
Prasetyo compared Indonesian's law enforcement system on corruption eradication to the ones in operation in Singapore and Malaysia, where attorneys general are the only entities endowed with prosecution authority.
Prasetyo believes the KPK is too powerful with too much authority.
"The AGOs in Singapore and Malaysia are the only law enforcement bodies that have the final say regarding prosecutions in corruption cases. They told us that an institution with powerful, limitless control will tend to become arbitrary," Prasetyo during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission III, which oversees human rights, security and legal affairs, on Monday.
Prasetyo stated that although the KPK had considerable reach in its powers for eradicating corruption, he had not seen any significant improvement in Indonesia's Corruption Perception Index.
"In other countries, the law enforcers work well in harmony. They don't compete with each other. It's time for us to learn from their practices," Prasetyo said. (foy/ebf)
