COUNTERING TERRORISM AND TRANSNATIONAL CRIME --

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000963 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, INL, S/CT, EEB/TPP/IPE, DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ AND DOJ/OPDAT, TREASURY FOR STACK/POLITZER, USTR FOR EHLERS/BAE NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EAID ID SUBJECT: COUNTERING TERRORISM AND TRANSNATIONAL CRIME -- USG ASSISTANCE PROMOTES BEST PRACTICES REF: A. JAKARTA 889 ¶B. 08 JAKARTA 687 ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Members of Indonesia's USG-sponsored Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) led a best practices training session for regional prosecutors on May 28-29. Mission--using S/CT and INL-funded grants--sponsored the training, which included sessions on counterterrorism, money laundering, intellectual property rights, cybercrime and human trafficking. The session is a component of a wider effort to professionalize the AGO and demonstrated the significant benefits of U.S. investment in Indonesia's law enforcement institutions. END SUMMARY. USG HELPS CREATE ELITE TASK FORCE ¶3. (SBU) Established in 2006, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime has evolved into an elite law enforcement body. The task force has a perfect record in prosecuting terrorism cases. The task force was established through a 2005 Letter of Agreement (LOA) between the AGO and Mission to provide $750,000 of USG assistance, including renovated office space, computers, equipment, and regular training on prosecutorial best practices. A 2007 amendment added Intellectual Property Rights to the task force's work and committed an additional $200,000 in funds from INL and S/CT. Assistance to the task force is jointly overseen by Mission's DOJ Office of Overseas Prosecutor Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) and the Political Section. TRAINING SESSIONS ¶4. (SBU) On May 28-29, the USG sponsored a prosecutorial training workshop for 30 prosecutors from Lombok and Sumbawa districts in central Indonesia. This was the second of a series of regional programs funded through the INL-funded LOA and administered through Mission's DOJ/OPDAT office. The first program was in Yogyakarta, central Java, in April and the next will take place in Kalimantan in central Indonesia in August. The training sessions are part of a wider effort to build the AGO's capability in handling complex crimes 
(reftel A). ¶5. (SBU) Members of the task force led sessions on prosecuting terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking, and intellectual property rights crimes. In each session, the task force prosecutor covered the relevant laws needed to prosecute each type of case, outlined obstacles in prosecuting the cases and shared best practices. During the session on terrorism, the presenter highlighted the benefits of close collaboration with the police--something which Indonesian prosecutors have not always done. This close coordination with the Indonesian police, beginning in the early stages of an investigation, was one of the key factors in the task force's impressive 100% conviction rate in terrorism cases. ¶6. (SBU) The program covered complex crimes, which many prosecutors do not fully understand. Two sessions focused on crimes involving money laundering and intellectual property rights, two areas that are new to the Lombok prosecutors. Highlights included: -- In the money laundering session, task force members described different ways a criminal could launder money and the types of cases that might include money laundering. -- In the intellectual property rights session, the prosecutor described why cultural differences regarding ideas of ownership make intellectual property rights difficult cases to prosecute in Indonesia. This session was designed to introduce the topic to the regional prosecutors. ¶7. (SBU) The course also covered the use of new technologies in prosecuting criminals. DOJ/OPDAT RLA led a cybercrime study case session to show how the internet can be used to prosecute both cybercrime cases and traditional cases. The JAKARTA 00000963 002 OF 002 AGO's Legal Bureau used the training program as an opportunity to introduce the AGO's newly launched website to the participants via interactive training. The new website contains information on court decisions, court news, and the AGO's bureaucratic reform process. SPECIALIZATION A KEY TO SUCCESS ¶8. (SBU) Members of the Terrorism and Transnational Crime Task Force attribute their success to the development of a professional prosecutorial service. The task force's specialization is unique in the AGO (reftel B) and the members have now developed extensive experience handling terrorism cases, allowing the group to handle more complex cases. Specialization has also allowed the task force to develop strong collaborative links with the police who handle the same crimes. These training sessions have both bolstered the task force's own expertise and helped transfer that expertise to prosecutors who are not based in Jakarta. The training workshops build on a wider effort to transform the AGO from a traditional bureaucracy to a more professional prosecutorial service capable of handling complex crimes (ref A). This effort to boost prosecutorial capabilities demonstrates the significant payoff of U.S. investment in Indonesian law enforcement institutions. HUME