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2019 sees fewer corruption cases but bigger state losses: ICW
Fewer corruption cases were brought to court in 2019, but total state losses incurred nearly doubled to Rp 8.4 trillion (US$614 million), the highest in five years, according to antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).
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Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activists (left to right) Nisa Rizkiah Zonzoa, Wana Alamsyah and Tama Satrya Langkun give a press conference at ICW's office in South Jakarta on Tuesday. (JP/Moch. Fiqih Prawira)
Fewer corruption cases were brought to court in 2019, but total state losses incurred nearly doubled to Rp 8.4 trillion (US$614 million), the highest in five years, according to antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).
An ICW survey found that 580 individuals were prosecuted in 271 corruption cases investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the police and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) last year, compared to 1,087 individuals and 454 cases in 2018.
Yet, the drop in the number of cases does not mean Indonesia has managed to root out corruption, the ICW report says.
“Indonesia has not yet succeeded in eradicating corruption,” ICW activist Wana Alamsyah told a press conference on Tuesday.
Wana pointed out that Indonesia ranked 97th of 126 surveyed countries in the Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project, which measures the level of corruption. Indonesia ranks second-lowest among 15 countries in the East Asia and Pacific region, while neighboring Malaysia and Vietnam rank seventh and 13th respectively, and China ranked eight.
In Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, Indonesia scored a low 40 points -- where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 stands for clean -- ranking it 85th of 180 countries surveyed in 2019. That marks a slight improvement from the 38 points and 89th rank Indonesia achieved in 2018.
