JOINT TEAM EXPECTED TO SOLVE MYSTERY OF BASWEDAN CASE by Fardah

Jakarta (Antara)- Nearly two years have passed since Novel Baswedan, senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was attacked with acid that caused him to lose vision in his left eye, but the perpetrators are still at large and unidentified until now.

         Baswedan was fatally attacked while heading home after performing Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque nearby when two motorcyclists hurled acid on his face that injured his eyes, particularly the left eye, on April 11, 2017.

        Baswedan, a 42-year-old retired police officer, had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007 and was entrusted with investigating major corruption cases, including those allegedly involving several high-ranking officials. Since then, he has been frequently terrorized and attacked.

       Both the Jakarta Metro Jaya Police and the National Police's Crime Investigation Department have claimed that they are incessantly investigating the case, but the investigation has failed to trace the attackers so far.

        Finally, the Indonesian Police has announced that Chief of the Indonesian Police (Polri) General Tito Karnavian on Jan 8, 2019, signed an assignment letter on establishment of a joint team to investigate the case of Baswedan.

        The joint team, comprising 65 members representing officers of the Polri, the KPK, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), and NGOs, will work from Jan 8 to July 7, 2019.

        The joint team was formed at the recommendation of the Komnas HAM, Inspector General M Iqbal, spokesman of the National Police, stated on Jan 11, 2019.

       Iqbal later explained that the joint team is a technical team to investigate the case and not a joint fact finding team (TGPF) that has been suggested by several KPK commissioners and NGOs.

NOVEL BASWEDAN CASE REMAINS MYSTERY by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 7, 2017 (Antara) - More than 200 days have passed since Novel Baswedan, senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was attacked with acid that has caused him to lose vision in his left eye, but the perpetrators are still at large and unidentified.

         Until now, both the Jakarta Metro Jaya Police and the National Police's Crime Investigation Department are incessantly investigating the case.

         The National Police does not intend to either slow down the investigation into the case or lose focus in dealing with it, according to Brigadier General Rikwanto, a spokesman of the National Police (Polri)
    He, however, admitted that the investigation has failed to trace the attackers.

         "It remains uncertain as to who the perpetrators are. We do not have strong evidence to name someone as a suspect," Rikwanto told the press on Oct 6, 2017.

         He urged anyone with information on the attackers to report it to the police or the KPK.

         He confirmed that the National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian will, in the near future, report to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) about the ongoing investigation into the unsolved case.

         Earlier, President Jokowi said he will discuss Baswedan's case with Karnavian.

         "Later, I will invite the Police chief. I will call him," President Jokowi stated recently in response to questions posed by the press regarding a suggestion to establish a joint fact finding team (TPGF) to probe the case.

         He said every case has to be dealt with in a clear and transparent manner. "For sure, every case must be open and clear," Jokowi noted.

ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY DETAINS ANOTHER DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SEA TRANSPORTATION by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 26, 2017 (Antara) - Within two years in a row, two director generals of sea transportation of the Transportation Ministry have been arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

        In February 2016, the anti-graft agency had detained Bobby Reynold Mamahit, the then director general, in a corruption case. In August 2016, the anti-corruption court had sentenced Mamahit to five years' imprisonment.

        The Indonesian public was in shock when the KPK made an announcement on August 24, 2017, that it had detained Antonius Tonny Budiono, the successor of Mamahit, for allegedly receiving bribes in connection with the issuance of permits and procurement for projects under his supervision during the 2016-2017 period.

        "Antonius Tonny Budiono (ATB), a suspect in his capacity as the sea transportation director general, and Adiputra Kurniawan (APK), as commissioner of PT Adhi Guna Keruktama (AGK), have been detained for the initial 20 days," Febri Diansyah, the KPK spokesman, had noted on Aug 24.    
    The anti-graft agency had closely monitored and investigated Budiono for seven months before naming him a suspect.

        "After an initial examination and questioning, it was concluded that Director General of Sea Transportation Budiono had allegedly committed corruption in the goods and services procurement projects at the Directorate General of Sea Transportation in the 2016-2017 budget year," KPK Deputy Chairman Basaria Panjaitan had stated at a press conference at the KPK building in Jakarta, Aug 24.

         During an impromptu operation conducted by the KPK on Aug 23-24, the agency confiscated money and automatic teller machine (ATM) cards from Budiono's bags.

JUSTICE STILL ELUDES ANTI-CORRUPTION CHAMPION NOVEL BASWEDAN by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 5, 2017 (Antara) - Some people view Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as a hero for his fearless and ceaseless fight against corruption, one of the most pressing problems facing Indonesia.

        Baswedan, a 40-year-old retired police officer, had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007 and since then has been frequently terrorized and attacked.

          In 2012, his motorcycle was seriously damaged after being attacked by supporters of convicted Amran Batalipu, a former district head of Buol in Central Sulawesi Province.

         Since 2012, he had also been criminalized, and in 2015, he was named a suspect in a case of maltreatment that had occurred in Bengkulu in 2004, when his subordinates had arrested several swallow nest thieves. Baswedan was head of the Bengkulu Police's criminal investigation unit at that time.

         In 2016, Baswedan was hit by a car while driving a motorcycle on his way to the KPK building.

       A fatal attack against him took place on the morning of April 11, 2017, when he was heading home after performing Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque nearby when two motorcyclists hurled acid on his face that injured his eyes, particularly the left eye.

        His attackers escaped and until now are still at large, while Baswedan is currently being treated in a Singapore hospital. He has lost his left eye and has to undergo a major surgery.

         Former chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Inspector General M. Iriawan had also investigated a possible link between the attack and the online hijab and Muslim dress business run by Baswedan's wife.

         Several parties, however, are certain that the attack is related to the corruption cases being handled by Baswedan.

INQUIRY ON ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY TRIGGERS CONTROVERSY by Fardah

Jakarta, May 4, 2017 (Antara) - A motion initiated by several lawmakers, particularly from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Golkar, and the National Democrats (Nasdem) parties, to exercise inquiry rights on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), has received criticism from various parties, particularly from legal experts.

         The Association of Alumni of the Faculty of Law of the University of Indonesia (ILUNI FH UI) has noted that the planned inquiry was an obstruction of justice and could endanger the momentum of corruption eradication.

         If the inquiry is carried out, it could be seen as an intervention into the legal enforcement process by the House of Representatives (DPR) and could harm the independence of KPK, ILUNI FH UI said in a statement signed by its chairman, Ahmad Fikri Assegaf, on May 3.

        The ILUNI FH UI also criticized a mechanism deciding the motion to exercise the inquiry rights by the DPR during a plenary session at the Parliament Building, here, on April 28. 
    Despite objections by representatives of several political party factions, Fahri Hamzah, deputy house speaker and chairman of the plenary session, hurriedly announced that the meeting approved the inquiry on the performance of the anti-graft agency. 
   Political parties' factions in the DPR which refuse the inquiry motion are Gerindra, National Awakening (PKB), Democrats Party (PD), and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Several members of the parties walked out to protest against the plenary session's chairman.

        Ahmad Muzani, Chairman of Gerindra Faction, regretted the move by the plenary meeting chairman. He believed that the chairman should have postponed the meeting and allowed lobbying prior to making a decision.

FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION TO NOT BACK DOWN TO TERROR by Fardah

 Jakarta, April 14, 2017 (Antara) - Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), on the morning of Apr 11 was heading home after performing Fajr, or Dawn, prayer at a mosque nearby when two motorcyclists attacked him.

          The attackers hurled acid on Baswedan's face that injured his eyes, particularly the left eye.

          He was rushed to Mitra Keluarga in Kelapa Gading and later moved to the Jakarta Eye Center and then to a hospital in Singapore.

          "Thank God, his condition is improving, now," Taufik Baswedan, his brother, said on Apr 13.

          Born in June 1977, Baswedan had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007.

          Since then, he has been frequently terrorized and attacked.

          In 2016, Baswedan was hit by a car while driving a motorcycle on his way to the KPK building.

          The retired policeman had also been criminalized and named a suspect in a maltreatment case in Bengkulu in 2015.

          In 2012, his motorcycle was seriously damaged after being attacked by supporters of Amran Batalipu, the former district head of Buol, who is now in prison for corruption.

          Baswedan is currently handling a mega corruption case related to the e-ID card project, allegedly involving the country's political elites.

          President Joko Widodo had expressed his condemnation to the latest attack.

          "It is a brutal act. I condemn it in the strongest terms, and I order the national police chief to find those responsible," he informed journalists at the State Palace in Jakarta, on April 11, 2017.

TRANSPARENCY NECESSARY IN HANDLING E-ID CARD PROJECT SCANDAL by Fardah

 Jakarta, April 8, 2017 (Antara) - Hari, a resident of Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, has complained that despite having applying for e-ID cards for his entire family since August 2015, no information is available on when their cards would be issued.

        "We have always received the same response from the local officers that 'you are still in the queue,'" he stated on April 6, 2017.

        Hari and his family have been given certificates stating that their e-ID cards are still being processed by the local authorities.

        Almost every region in Indonesia, including Jakarta, is facing similar problems. Several residents do not have e-ID cards, as there is a shortage of plastic cards for printing ID cards.

        The project, worth some Rp5.9 trillion (nearly US$443 million) and being overseen by the Home Affairs Ministry, has encountered problems since it began in 2011.

        In its early stage, the data recording equipment for the project had arrived late, and the project has been hit by corruption allegations.

        Just few weeks after Tjahjo Kumolo was sworn in as the home affairs minister in late 2014, he announced his plan to halt the project due to suspicions of possible corruption.

        The project, however, is still being carried out, while the alleged corruption case has been handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

        As the trial has been ongoing, testimonies by several witnesses have revealed a shocking allegation that some Rp2.3 trillion (some $172.5 million) of the project funds were embezzled.

POLICE, KPK JOIN HAND IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 30, 2016 (Antara) - No more "crocodile and gecko fight" as the Indonesian Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have agreed to forge closer cooperation in the fight against corruption practices in the country.

         The "gecko vs crocodile" term became popular when a then police official had referred the KPK as a powerless gecko trying to fight a crocodile referring to the police force, in a "conflict between the two institutions" in 2009.

         At that time, several officials of the two institutions seemed to have been competing with each other in handling corruption cases.

         But, the two institutions have changed such a perception and tried to forge sound ties between them since the past several years.

         In December 2013, the then national police chief, general Sutarman paid a visit to the KPK office.

         "We paid a courtesy visit to the KPK leadership. There will be an integration of all the investigators, namely, police investigators, the attorney general office's investigators and the KPK's investigators. We will join hand in combating corruption in the country," the then head of the National Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Commissioner General Suhardi Alius, said after joining the visit to the KPK.

         The good tradition was continued by the new Police Chief, General Tito Karnavian, who was installed as the Police chief by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on July 13 to succeed general Badrodin Haiti, who entered retirement period.

INDONESIA STILL ON LOOKOUT FOR 33 GRAFT FUGITIVES By Fardah

 Jakarta, April 27, 2016 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is still on the lookout for 33 fugitives involved in corruption cases, after successfully arresting three fugitives extradited from overseas.      
     The three fugitives are, Samadikun Hartono, who was arrested in China recently, Totok Aria Prabowo, caught in Cambodia December 2015, and Hartawan Aluwi, who was nabbed in Singapore April 21 this year.

         "Tracking down fugitives is also a policy of the Jokowi-JK (administration). As an assistant, I follow the policy," Chairman of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Sutiyoso said recently.

         His office has made a roadmap to hunt down fugitives hiding overseas, Sutiyoso claimed.    
    Among the most notorious fugitives is Eddy Tansil, who escaped from the Cipinang prison in 1996, and most likely fled to China. Tansil was sentenced to 20 years in prison, for embezzling Rp1.3 trillion from Bank Bapindo through the Golden Key Group.

        "I am going to look for them even at the tip of the world. Their best option is to surrender," Sutiyoso said recently.

NEW LEADERS, NEW OFFICE AND NEW HOPE FOR ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 2, 2015 (Antara) - Indonesia has entered the new year of 2016 with new hope of its dream to become a corruption-free nation as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) with a new five-member panel.         It also has a new 16-storey office building located in the heart of the city.         The new KPK leaders who will work for the next four years, were installed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on December 22, 2015 after they had passed the fit-and-proper tests by the House of Representatives (DPR).          Agus Rahardjo is the new head of the KPK, and his four deputies are Alexander Marwata, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode Muhammad Syarif and Saut Situmorang.          A week later, on December 29, Jokowi inaugurated KPK¿s new building, expressing his hope that the building would mark the continuation of the agency's struggle.          The new office is built on an 8,663-square-meter plot of land using the concept of "secure", "smart", and "green."     The construction of the 16-story building, with a total space of 39,629 square meters, began on November 29, 2013.

ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY NEEDS TO REMAIN STRONG TO FIGHT RAMPANT CORRUPTION by Fardah

Jakarta, June 20, 2015 (Antara) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has been entrusted by the Indonesian public to fight rampant corruption throughout the country.

       Since the beginning of its establishment, however, the agency has been facing mounting challenges due to attempts to hamper corruption eradication efforts and to systematically weaken KPK, which is also seen as a "super body".

       In 2009, the then-KPK leader Antasari Azhar was convicted of murder and sentenced to 18 years behind bars. Many people believed that the murder case was fabricated, and yet he remains in jail.

       Earlier this year, the then KPK chief Abraham,  one of the deputies to Bambang Widjojanto, and KPK's senior investigator Novel Baswedan, were named as suspects by the National Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim) in separate cases, as they were charged with possible crimes occurring before they held important KPK posts.

PEOPLE COME OUT TO DEFEND KPK FOLLOWING ARREST OF ITS LEADER by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 24, 2015 (Antara) - The crocodile has returned and tried to attack the gecko once again, but this time, the gecko is not alone, for the people have voluntarily come to defend it.

        That is how people perceived it when they heard the breaking news about the arrest of Bambang Widjojanto, deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) by the National Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on January 23, 2015.

        Bambang Widjojanto was detained in Depok Street, Friday at 7.30 am while taking his child to school, for allegedly forcing a witness to provide a false testimony under oath during his tenure as a lawyer when he was handling a dispute regarding the regional head elections in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, in 2010.

ANOTHER DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S CADRE NAMED SUSPECT BY ANTI-GRAFT BODY By Fardah

    Jakarta, Sept 5, 2014   (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was reportedly shocked over the naming of Jero Wacik (JW), senior cadre of the Democratic Party (PD), as a suspect in a graft case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

        JW, who is concurrently the energy and mineral resources minister, was named a suspect in a corruption case of allegedly misusing his position as minister to extort money worth Rp9.9 billion from various sources during the period 2011-2012.

        His fate might follow those of other prominent PD cadres, including Andi Mallarangeng, Anas Urbaningrum, Angelina Sondakh, and Nazarudin, who have ended up in the KPK's prison.

ERADICATING CORRUPTION IN INDONESIA IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 11, 2013 (Antara) - International Anti-Corruption Day, which is observed on December 9, was commemorated almost across Indonesia by student rallies, speeches by political representatives, including the president, and seminars.         Corruption is rife in Indonesia. Nevertheless, despite the persistent presence of corruption, Indonesia is one of the few countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) that has shown improvement.

APEC ESTABLISHES NETWORK TO FIGHT CORRUPTION by Fardah

    Jakarta, Oct 9, 2013 (Antara) - Member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) consider corruption a threat to social and economic development.  
  Corruption practices lower public and investors' trust, damage healthy market competition, threaten consumers' safety, and increase the cost of doing business, delivering public services, and infrastructure projects.

        Therefore, to support sustainable and inclusive growth, the 21 member economies of APEC have expressed their commitment to eradicating corruption, bribery, money laundering, and illicit trade.

Roundup - INDONESIA MARKS INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 10, 2012 (ANTARA) - Joining other countries in marking the International Anti-Corruption Day which falls on December 9, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led the Anti-Corruption Day 2012 celebrations at the State Palace here on Monday.

         The event was attended by, among others, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, Chairman of the Presidential Working Unit for Supervision and Management of Development (UKP4) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo, a number of ministers, governors from the country's 33 provinces, and Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Abraham Samad.

POLICE, ANTI-GRAFT BODY EXPECTED TO COOPERATE By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 13, 2012 (ANTARA) - Each time a fiasco occurs involving the National Police (Polri) and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is called upon to mediate and issue clear instructions on both law enforcement agencies` respective tasks.

The latest showdown between the two agencies culminated with police officers entering the KPK office on October 5 (Friday) and trying to arrest Police Commissioner Novel Baswedan, a KPK investigator who handled a vehicle simulator procurement corruption case allegedly involving, among others, a high ranking officer, Inspector General Djoko Susilo.

The police sought to detain Baswedan on October 5 and charged him with the fatal shooting that killed a civilian in Bengkulu, Sumatra, in 2004.

According to police investigation, Baswedan was the head of the Bengkulu police criminal unit at the time and was, therefore, responsible for the action of his men, who shot and killed a suspect following a robbery incident.

As the police officers arrived at the KPK building to question Novel Baswedan, hundreds of people flocked to the KPK offices to express support for Baswedan.

NAZARUDDIN CASE ANOTHER TEST FOR LAW ENFORCERS' INTEGRITY by Fardah

      Jakarta, Aug 15, 2011 (ANTARA) - Former Democrat Party treasurer Nazaruddin`s saga is developing into another law enforcement case where the integrity, honesty and uprightness of the law enforcing agencies will be put to the test.
       The public is wondering whether Nazaruddin`s case will not meet the same fate as the Bank Century bailout case, the Antasari case and the Gayus Tambunan tax mafia case which all ended in an anticlimax.

COLOMBIAN POLICE FINALLY STOP RUNAWAY NAZARUDDIN by Fardah

      Jakarta, Aug 10, 2011 (ANTARA) - After being on the run in three continents for about 75 days, Nazaruddin, the former Democrat Party treasurer suspected of involvement in a corruption case, was finally arrested by Colombian Police recently.
       Nazaruddin was caught in Cartagena, a small town located over 600 km from Bogota, Colombia, South America, on Sunday (August 7, 2011), by local police who suspected him of using a fake passport.

HUNT FOR NAZARUDDIN CONTINUES by Fardah

     Jakarta, July 13, 2011 (ANTARA) - Former Democrat Party treasurer M Nazaruddin,who is wanted as a suspect in a corruption case, has been on the run for more than 50 days so far.
      Nazar left Jakarta for Singapore on May 23, 2011, just a day before the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) imposed a travel ban on him.