ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION'S FBI VISIT: A KEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 002246 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR DOJ FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL MUKASEY FOR FBI FOR DIRECTOR MUELLER TREASURY/IA FOR RACHEL BAYLY MCC FOR MARIA LONGI DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ DOJ/OIA FOR WARNER/ROBINSON DOJ/OPDAT FOR ALEXANDRE/BERMAN/JOHNSON DOJ/PUBLIC INTEGRITY FOR AINSWORTH USAID FOR ANE/AA WARD NSC FOR E. PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KJUS KCOR ID SUBJECT: ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION'S FBI VISIT: A KEY OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER ENGAGEMENT REF: A. JAKARTA 2155 ¶B. JAKARTA 1815 JAKARTA 00002246 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified--Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The FBI's work with the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is a vital component of our bilateral partnership with Indonesia in the area of law enforcement and rule of law reform. On November 18, FBI Deputy Director Pistole and KPK Chair Antasari Azhar signed a MOU which affirmed the ongoing collaboration of the two agencies. ¶3. (SBU) SUMMARY (Con'd): During the signing ceremony, the Deputy Director invited Azhar and other members of the KPK to visit the U.S. in mid-December. This visit will give the KPK an opportunity to meet face-to-face with its counterparts at the FBI and DOJ. The meetings with Attorney General Mukasey and FBI Director Mueller will be the capstones of the trip. Azhar's bio information is included in paras 11-12. END SUMMARY. A LEADING REFORM ORGANIZATION ¶4. (SBU) The Corruption Eradication Commission, an independent government institution, is leading the campaign to combat corruption in Indonesia (ref B). The KPK has expanded authority to conduct corruption investigations and try cases in a specialized Anti-Corruption Court, which has a 100% conviction rate. The KPK has arrested several high-level corruption suspects in 2008: a senior prosecutor in the Attorney General's Office (AGO); six members of Parliament--from both government coalition and opposition parties; a former central bank head; and, a former central bank governor who is the father-in-law of one of President Yudhoyono's sons. These high profile arrests have increased not only the credibility of the KPK, but also the credibility of the Yudhoyono administration, putting more than words behind the President's strong public stance against corruption. ¶5. (U) Increased personnel, a focus on capacity building, and strategic partnerships help to explain the rising operational tempo and growing institutional strength at the KPK. The KPK has nearly doubled the number of its investigators (111 now) and prosecutors (28 now) since 2005. The KPK's long-term strategy balances prosecution and prevention. The KPK is on track to conduct more investigations in 2008 than any previous year (ref B). U.S. VISIT ¶6. (SBU) On November 18, Deputy Director Pistole signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with the Corruption Eradication Commission. This MOU complements the June 9 agreement on anti-corruption signed by Attorney General Mukasey, making a total of seven current law enforcement agreements between U.S. and Indonesian agencies. Department of Justice and the FBI have already partnered with Indonesia in several areas: counterterrorism; JAKARTA 00002246 002.2 OF 003 anti-corruption; criminal procedure reform; anti-money laundering; asset forfeiture; trafficking in persons; environment protection; and, in the building of overall investigative and prosecutorial capacity. ¶7. (SBU) USG assistance has already made a tangible difference. The conviction of senior AG prosecutor, Urip Tri Gunawan, was due in large part to the USG-provided wiretapping capability of the KPK. Indonesian law allows the admission of tape recordings as evidence only for certain crimes, including corruption. The defense was unable to refute tape recorded evidence, and the tape recordings sent a powerful message to members of the Indonesian Parliament who remarked that they would need to be careful what they said in public and over the phone. ¶8. (SBU) During their visit to Washington on December 15-16, the KPK delegation, led by KPK Chairman Antasari Azhar, will visit the FBI Academy at Quantico to tour the training facility, meet with the FBI Central Authority, and with the Asset Forfeiture Unit. The visit to the Asset Forfeiture Unit is of special interest to the KPK as it is now exploring how to seize questionable assets. ¶9. (SBU) At FBI Headquarters, the group will meet with the Anti-Corruption Division, the Strategic Information Operations Center (SIOC),and the undercover division. In addition to these meetings, KPK Chair Azhar will discuss with FBI Director Mueller and Attorney General Mukasey specifics regarding the implementation of the recently signed MOU (ref A). Following their meetings on December 15, the group will attend a dinner hosted by Rod and Carla Hills, who are establishing a good governance center in Indonesia. ¶10. (SBU) Chandra Hamzah, a vice chairman of the KPK and head of the Investigations Unit, is part of the delegation to the United States. As head of the investigations division, his participation in the substantive meetings at the FBI Academy is critical to building cooperative links between GOI law enforcement officials and their USG counterparts. ANTASARI AZHAR: BIO INFORMATION ¶11. (SBU) Antasari Azhar was appointed to be Chair of the KPK in December 2007. Prior to this appointment, Azhar served as the Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the AGO. His appointment as Director of the Prosecutor's Office followed a 23-year career as a prosecutor with the AGO. He received his law degree from Sriwijaya University and studied Commercial Law at New South Wales University in Sydney. Many civil society members considered Azhar's appointment last December to head the KPK as controversial due to Azhar's decision not to prosecute Tommy Suharto, the former President's son, while he worked at the Attorney General's Office. All observers now, however, applaud the selection of Azhar. ¶12. (SBU) The KPK has earned the public's trust under Azhar's leadership. Some observers complain about the KPK's perceived lack of transparency in selecting cases; however, little of this criticism is directly targeted at Azhar. JAKARTA 00002246 003.2 OF 003 Thanks to Azhar, the KPK is leading reform throughout the Indonesian government and is ranked as one of the most trusted agencies in Indonesia. HUME