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Concern grows over impact of budget cuts on corruption investigations
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building is pictured on Jan. 22, 2025, under overcast skies in Jakarta. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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oncerns grow that the government-ordered budget cuts will weaken how the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and Attorney General’s Office (AGO) are investigating corruption cases.
The KPK had its spending slashed by 16 percent from 1.23 trillion (US$75.13 million) to Rp 1.03 trillion. KPK deputy chairman Agus Joko Pramono recently said that the agency will reduce the number of investigators handling cases.
A bigger cut of 22 percent is faced by the AGO. Its budget now stands at Rp 18.84 trillion following the cut. AGO spokesperson Harli Siregar told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the institution has been adjusting their spending, including by using less electricity and cutting down on work trips.
“We have to make sure first what needs to be saved, and it seems our operational costs for handling cases won’t be [affected],” Harli said.
Activist Wana Alamsyah from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) fears that the budget cuts will reduce the number of corruption cases the KPK and the AGO can handle.
“Budget cuts in law enforcement institutions will quantitatively affect corruption eradication in Indonesia. The 16 percent budget cut the KPK is facing, for instance, will weaken how the KPK handles corruption cases,” Wana said.
Zaenur Rohman from Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anticorruption Studies (Pukat UGM) suggested that the KPK and AGO should prioritize their investigations into high-profile corruption cases rather than smaller cases.
