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Govt, House agree on bill intended to help corruption convicts get early release
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Former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto (right) arrives to undergo interrogation at the Corruption Eradication Commission building in Jakarta in September 2018. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
T
he government and the House of Representatives have agreed to pass a bill that would make it easier for corruption convicts to get early release from imprisonment, in yet another move that many fear would further undermine the country’s decades-long fights to eradicate corruption.
Anticorruption activists have warned that the bill, which would technically remove hurdles for corruption convicts to receive remission and conditional releases, could be such a “gift” for individuals convicted of graft, including those who are currently serving their sentences.
House Commission III overseeing legal affairs and the government concluded on Tuesday evening the deliberation of a revision to a 1995 law on correctional procedures, hours after passing revisions to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law that neuter the antigraft body’s independence and effectiveness.
They agreed that the correctional procedures bill would be passed during the House's next plenary session this month, either on Sept. 23 or 24, arguing that the revision was necessary to uphold a sense of justice for all, including graft inmates.
The revision would scrap a 2012 government regulation on the rights of prisoners, which, among other things, stipulates strict measures when considering remissions and parole for those convicted of extraordinary crimes, including terrorism and corruption.
Erma Suryani Ranik, the chairwoman of the bill's working committee, said that after it is passed into law and takes effect, the applicable procedures for remission and parole would revert back to a 1999 government regulation — the older version of the 2012 regulation.
Under the 2012 regulation, graft convicts may be considered for remission only if they are willing to serve as “justice collaborators” in graft investigations and are eligible for parole upon a recommendation from law enforcers, including the KPK.
