RULE OF LAW -- DEPUTY AG UNDERSCORES SUPPORT FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000376 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, INR/EAP, INL FOR BOULDIN/BUHLER DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KJUS ID SUBJECT: RULE OF LAW -- DEPUTY AG UNDERSCORES SUPPORT FOR REFORM REF: A. JAKARTA 244 ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3320 ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 2797 JAKARTA 00000376 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POL/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: At a February 21 meeting with the DCM, Deputy Attorney General Arifin underlined his support for a new, reformed Criminal Procedure Code. Arifin admitted that the AG's institutional relationship with the Indonesian National Police (INP) was weak and requested Mission assistance in getting the INP to support the new Code. Arifin also briefed DCM on the status of internal reforms in the AG's office and expressed his desire for continued cooperation with the USG. Bio notes are included in Para 6. END SUMMARY. A GOOD FIRST MEETING ¶2. (C) The February 21 meeting was Mission's first official call on Deputy AG Muchtar Arifin, who was appointed to the AGO's second highest position in 2007. DCM raised a number of issues at the meeting, including internal reform at the AGO, cooperation on anti-corruption and counterterrorism, and the newly completed draft Criminal Procedure Code. (Note: The draft Code is currently under review by the government and requires approval of the Parliament in order to be enacted--Ref A. It was drafted with USG assistance.) SUPPORTING REFORM ¶3. (C) Arifin expressed his strong support for the new draft of the Criminal Code, which would strengthen coordination between the police and the AGO and give prosecutors an expanded role in criminal investigations. He also noted that that there was some opposition to the draft Code within the INP, where some view the changes as limiting the authority of the police (the draft code, in fact, does try to balance the need for legitimate law enforcement with citizens' rights). Arifin noted that institutional relations between the INP and the AGO were weak and requested Mission's assistance in urging the INP to accept the changes contained in the draft Code. SEEKING CONTINUED SUPPORT ¶4. (C) Arifin expressed appreciation for USG assistance to the AGO related to the internal reform program, which he characterized as ongoing (ref B),and the Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime (ref C). He also stated that he would welcome Mission's support of the AGO's anti-corruption campaign, in particular by supporting GOI efforts to seize stolen assets held outside of Indonesia and by preventing fugitive corruptors from entering the United States. DCM responded that we would look into concrete ways to assist in these areas. SERIOUS ABOUT REFORM TRACK ¶5. (C) We were impressed by Arifin. He seems serious about reform. He has a good reputation and is an expert in corruption cases. Indonesia's judicial sector needs a lot of assistance, and we'll continue to work with him on reform issues via USAID's Justice Sector Reform Program, INL-funded OPDAT programs, and in other ways. BIO NOTES ¶6. (C)Arifin is a career prosecutor. Prior to his appointment as Deputy AG in 2007, Arifin served as Junior AG for Intelligence, and Chief of provincial offices in West Sumatra and West Nusa Tenggarra (in eastern Indonesia). He has also held key positions in the AGO's Special Crimes Division, during which time he oversaw a number of high profile corruption cases, including the investigation (later suspended by the courts for health reasons) of former president Suharto. Arifin was born in Aceh on May 4, 1949, and studied law at the University of Indonesia and JAKARTA 00000376 002.2 OF 002 Padjadjaran University in Bandung. He is a Muslim. HUME