Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09JAKARTA19
2009-01-06 10:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Jakarta
Cable title:
CORRUPTION PROSECUTIONS OFF TO A STRONG START IN
how-toVZCZCXRO0386 OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHJA #0019/01 0061021 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 061021Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1153 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL PRIORITY RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP PRIORITY 0107 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5791 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3476 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 1558 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1547 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2573 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 5295 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2918 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 3397 RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 3218 RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 1389 RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000019
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INL
INL FOR ROESS/BARCLAY
DEPT FOR EEB/IFD/OMA
DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHAMNN/ALEXANDRE/JOHNSON
MCC FOR LONGI
SINGAPORE FOR BAKER
TREASURY FOR M.NUGGET AND T. RAND
NSC FOR E. PHU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCOR ID
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION PROSECUTIONS OFF TO A STRONG START IN
2009
REF: 08 JAKARTA 2177
JAKARTA 00000019 001.2 OF 002
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000019
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INL
INL FOR ROESS/BARCLAY
DEPT FOR EEB/IFD/OMA
DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHAMNN/ALEXANDRE/JOHNSON
MCC FOR LONGI
SINGAPORE FOR BAKER
TREASURY FOR M.NUGGET AND T. RAND
NSC FOR E. PHU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCOR ID
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION PROSECUTIONS OFF TO A STRONG START IN
2009
REF: 08 JAKARTA 2177
JAKARTA 00000019 001.2 OF 002
1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please
handle accordingly.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Corruption prosecutions are off to a
strong start in 2009 with the January 5 conviction of a
sitting member of Parliament on graft charges. Meanwhile,
anti-corruption results in 2008 were positive--the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK) investigated and prosecuted a
record number of corruption cases last year. The
anti-corruption body also recovered over $36.5 million in
state assets, a record amount. There are concerns that
corruption may ramp up during the upcoming electoral season
due to all the money sloshing around. END SUMMARY.
2009 PROSECUTIONS START STRONG
3. (SBU) The GOI has netted its first major success in its
anti-corruption efforts in the new year. On January 5, a
sitting member of parliament, Al-Amin Nasution, was sentenced
to eight years in prison and fined $23,256 on graft charges.
Nasution, who is a member of the United Development Party (a
Muslim-oriented party),was the first sitting member of the
Indonesian Parliament (DPR) to be convicted of corruption.
4. (SBU) In terms of specifics, the Anti-Corruption Court
(ACC) found Nasution guilty of receiving $368,000 in bribes
from multiple sources. He also extorted funds in exchange
for facilitating the approval of protected forest conversion
permits, and extracted favors for assisting tenders for
forestry survey equipment and global positioning system
(GPS). In the meantime, the GOI is moving forward with a
number of other high profile prosecutions.
KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION BODY HAS A RECORD YEAR
5. (SBU) 2008 was a record year for GOI anti-corruption
efforts. The GOI's key anti-corruption body, the KPK,
returned $36.5 million in state assets from corruption cases
to Indonesia's coffers. The recovered state assets in 2008
were ten times greater than the amount recovered from
corruption cases in 2007. Because the KPK only counted the
state assets which were actually recovered and not assets
which are flagged for recovery or pending, many of these
assets were identified in 2007, but not actually recovered
until 2008. Additionally, the KPK investigated and
prosecuted a record number of cases in 2008.
6. (SBU) During the KPK's year-end conference on December
30, Chair Antasari Azhar claimed that the KPK had prevented
approximately $16 million in potential losses to the state
through preventative measures. These measures and internal
reforms included securing state assets to make those assets
less likely to be used by potential corrupters and requiring
state officials to report their wealth to the Commission.
7. (U) The successes of the KPK and the ACC were not echoed
by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the general
courts. According to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) data,
of the 444 people charged with corruption in 2008, 62% were
acquitted in the general court system, from the district
courts to the Supreme Court. The percentage of acquittals
JAKARTA 00000019 002.2 OF 002
has steadily increased from 22.5% in 2005 to the current
percentage. Of the 167 defendants found guilty, most were
sentenced to five years or less in prison. This is in stark
contrast to the Anti-Corruption Court, which has a 100%
conviction rate.
CONCERNS ABOUT ELECTION SEASON
8. (SBU) There are concerns about an increase in corruption
during the upcoming legislative and presidential election
season. With thousands of candidates and millions of dollars
sloshing about, there are concerns that public officials may
be approached to do favors for political parties.
9. (SBU) For example, the Indonesian Forum for Budget
Transparency (FITRA),a budgetary watchdog organization,
warned the central government on January 5 that budgetary
surpluses at the provincial and regional levels could be used
illegally to fund legislative campaigns. The regulations
regarding the distribution of these funds are poorly written.
FITRA urged vigilance in monitoring the situation.
HEFFERN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INL
INL FOR ROESS/BARCLAY
DEPT FOR EEB/IFD/OMA
DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHAMNN/ALEXANDRE/JOHNSON
MCC FOR LONGI
SINGAPORE FOR BAKER
TREASURY FOR M.NUGGET AND T. RAND
NSC FOR E. PHU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCOR ID
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION PROSECUTIONS OFF TO A STRONG START IN
2009
REF: 08 JAKARTA 2177
JAKARTA 00000019 001.2 OF 002
1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please
handle accordingly.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Corruption prosecutions are off to a
strong start in 2009 with the January 5 conviction of a
sitting member of Parliament on graft charges. Meanwhile,
anti-corruption results in 2008 were positive--the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK) investigated and prosecuted a
record number of corruption cases last year. The
anti-corruption body also recovered over $36.5 million in
state assets, a record amount. There are concerns that
corruption may ramp up during the upcoming electoral season
due to all the money sloshing around. END SUMMARY.
2009 PROSECUTIONS START STRONG
3. (SBU) The GOI has netted its first major success in its
anti-corruption efforts in the new year. On January 5, a
sitting member of parliament, Al-Amin Nasution, was sentenced
to eight years in prison and fined $23,256 on graft charges.
Nasution, who is a member of the United Development Party (a
Muslim-oriented party),was the first sitting member of the
Indonesian Parliament (DPR) to be convicted of corruption.
4. (SBU) In terms of specifics, the Anti-Corruption Court
(ACC) found Nasution guilty of receiving $368,000 in bribes
from multiple sources. He also extorted funds in exchange
for facilitating the approval of protected forest conversion
permits, and extracted favors for assisting tenders for
forestry survey equipment and global positioning system
(GPS). In the meantime, the GOI is moving forward with a
number of other high profile prosecutions.
KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION BODY HAS A RECORD YEAR
5. (SBU) 2008 was a record year for GOI anti-corruption
efforts. The GOI's key anti-corruption body, the KPK,
returned $36.5 million in state assets from corruption cases
to Indonesia's coffers. The recovered state assets in 2008
were ten times greater than the amount recovered from
corruption cases in 2007. Because the KPK only counted the
state assets which were actually recovered and not assets
which are flagged for recovery or pending, many of these
assets were identified in 2007, but not actually recovered
until 2008. Additionally, the KPK investigated and
prosecuted a record number of cases in 2008.
6. (SBU) During the KPK's year-end conference on December
30, Chair Antasari Azhar claimed that the KPK had prevented
approximately $16 million in potential losses to the state
through preventative measures. These measures and internal
reforms included securing state assets to make those assets
less likely to be used by potential corrupters and requiring
state officials to report their wealth to the Commission.
7. (U) The successes of the KPK and the ACC were not echoed
by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the general
courts. According to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) data,
of the 444 people charged with corruption in 2008, 62% were
acquitted in the general court system, from the district
courts to the Supreme Court. The percentage of acquittals
JAKARTA 00000019 002.2 OF 002
has steadily increased from 22.5% in 2005 to the current
percentage. Of the 167 defendants found guilty, most were
sentenced to five years or less in prison. This is in stark
contrast to the Anti-Corruption Court, which has a 100%
conviction rate.
CONCERNS ABOUT ELECTION SEASON
8. (SBU) There are concerns about an increase in corruption
during the upcoming legislative and presidential election
season. With thousands of candidates and millions of dollars
sloshing about, there are concerns that public officials may
be approached to do favors for political parties.
9. (SBU) For example, the Indonesian Forum for Budget
Transparency (FITRA),a budgetary watchdog organization,
warned the central government on January 5 that budgetary
surpluses at the provincial and regional levels could be used
illegally to fund legislative campaigns. The regulations
regarding the distribution of these funds are poorly written.
FITRA urged vigilance in monitoring the situation.
HEFFERN