T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has narrowed down the number of candidates for several key positions within the commission, including the law enforcement deputy director and the investigation director.

The position of law enforcement deputy director, responsible for all legal efforts against graft suspects, has been empty since former deputy director Firli Bahuri left the post in June of last year to return to the National Police as a member of the South Sumatra Police. Firli now serves as the antigraft body chairman after being selected by the House of Representatives in September 2019.

KPK acting spokesperson Ali Fikri said the antigraft body had selected three out of 11 candidates for the deputy position after an “independent and professional third party” carried out administrative and other assessments from March 5 to 17.

The selection team has also narrowed down candidates for investigation director, information and data deputy director and legal bureau head.

“The candidates consist of our own employees, as well as individuals from external agencies,” Ali said in a statement on Monday.

The next phase of the selection process — a medical checkup and interview — will be conducted from April 2 to 7.

“They will be conducted in parallel with a background check done by the KPK and a third-party institution. Among the information checked will be their compliance in submitting their wealth reports.”

Ali invited the public to participate in the selection process by providing insight into each candidate.

However, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) slammed the antigraft body for its lack of transparency regarding the selection process, as the public had not been informed of the selection steps or the names of the candidates applying for the positions.

ICW researcher Wana Alamsyah compared this year’s selection process to the one that occurred in 2018, which resulted in Firli’s appointment as the law enforcement deputy.

At that time, the KPK made information about the process and candidates available to the general public. It also involved the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center in the background checks. The institution was not involved in this year’s selection process.

“The KPK’s law enforcement deputy director has a central role in handling corruption cases. If the position is filled by people lacking integrity and capacity, public trust in the KPK will be eroded further,” Wana said.

He noted the high number of law enforcement officers applying for the position. “There will be a potential for conflicts of interest, especially when the antigraft body investigates corruption cases in law enforcement institutions, if the KPK’s prosecution is led by law enforcement.”

Since Firli was inaugurated as the KPK chairman last December, the antigraft body has handled only two major cases, both of which have carried over from the term of the previous chairman, Agus Rahardjo.