KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION OFFICIAL FACING SAO

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002234 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, CA/FO, CA/VO/L/C (LAURA STEIN) NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL CVIS KISL ID SUBJECT: KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION OFFICIAL FACING SAO DIFFICULTIES REF: A. JAKARTA 2087 ¶B. JAKARTA 2048 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Mission requires the Department's urgent assistance in securing Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) clearance for two GOI officials who hope to travel to Washington for anti-corruption consultations with the FBI and other USG officials. These officials were specifically invited by the FBI for these meetings. Facilitating this travel is a United States priority. As reftels have outlined, this is one of a series of difficulties we have had with the SAO process for key Indonesian officials. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Mission requests the Department's urgent assistance in securing interagency SAO clearance for two Indonesian officials to travel to Washington on December 13 for meetings with FBI Director Mueller at FBI Headquarters and with Attorney General Mukasey. These officials are part of a delegation whom FBI Deputy Director Pistole met during his recent visit to Indonesia and specifically invited to Washington for this purpose. The head of the delegation, who is an important partner in the War on Terrorism, fighting corruption and transnational crime, has threatened to cancel the entire trip if these two individuals cannot travel. Both are senior officials well known to the Mission. Hamzah is the Chief of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commission's (KPK) Investigative Unit and therefore must be included on the trip. ¶3. (U) Consular Acting Chief Paul Howard sent particulars of the two individuals by email in an expedite request to Laura Stein in CA/VO. Their names are Chandra Hamzah, Commissioner, and Budi Ibrahim, Director. ¶4. (U) Fighting corruption in Indonesia and building cooperative links between GOI law enforcement officials and their USG counterparts is a key USG priority here. The difficulties Hamzah and Ibrahim are having with the SAO process threaten progress on this important objective. This is not the first time the SAO process has created difficulties for senior GOI officials, as noted in reftel. Mission requests that the Department work urgently to address this problem. HUME