GROUNDSWELL FOR CLEANSING OF AGO OF CORRUPT PROSECUTORS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 11 (ANTARA) - While Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman is facing an investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as a witness in the case of prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan, public suspicion about bribery related to central bank liquidity credit cases is now mounting.

        Amid the increasing public suspicion, calls have also been made for an overall investigation of prosecutors to rid the Attorney General's Office (AGO) of its 'dirty linen'. This was in response to the recent arrest of Urip Tri Gunawan (UTG) who was caught red-handed taking an alleged bribe of US$660,000.

        UTG was the chief of a team of 35 prosecutors that had investigated possible corruption in the settlement of Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) debts of new defunct Bank BDNI and Bank Central Asia (BCA).

        UTG was arrested by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) agents while he was transporting the money in cash he had just received from Arthalita Suryani at the home of Sjamsul Nursalim, owner of BDNI in South Jakarta.

        The arrest only confirmed a widely-held belief that bribery is rampant among law enforcers. It is a shame to the government as the case shows a law enforcer himself to have committed a shameful criminal act.

        "The prosecutor's arrest smears the government's image," Aulia Rahman, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission III dealing with legal affairs said.
<br>        Therefore, House Speaker Agung Laksono urged the government to investigate all personnel at the AGO dealing with the BLBI case. "A comprehensive investigation should be conducted to uncover the case, not only UTG should be questioned but all the prosecutors," Agung said.

        Agung said the alleged bribery in the BLBI case had disgraced the public prosecutor's office as an institution. Law enforcers should avoid being bribed if they seriously intended to help solve the BLBI issue comprehensively, he said.

        The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) also called for an investigation drive against public prosecution personnel. The prosecutors team dealing with BLBI cases must be totally restructured, it said.

        "This should not merely be conducted against the BLBI prosecutors, but also against their superiors," La Ode Ida, a DPD deputy chairman, said.

        The harshest criticism was voiced by Aulia Rachman. He called on Attorney General Hendarman Supanji to resign over mounting public suspicion about bribery related to the BLBI issue in his office.

        "As a direct subordinate of the president, the Attorney General should immediately have felt guilty, not just disappointed and sad after one of his men was arrested for bribery," he said,

        "Feeling sad and guilty is not the same as feeling responsible. Let us be manly and resign because we, as a subordinate of the president, have failed to live up to our responsibility," Rachman said.

        Aulia Rahman and a number of his fellow lawmakers were disgusted by the Attorney General's Office after noticing signs Hendarman was actually trying to protect UTG.

        "It seems they are acting according to a certain scenario. UTG's claim shortly after he was caught red-handed receiving the bribe that the money was proceeds from a jewelry business deal, was repeated again and again in several forums," he said.

        Contrary to Aulia Rahman who called on the attorney general to resign, noted lawyer Ruhut Sitompul believed Hendarman Supandji was clean and able to flush out 'naughty' prosecutors from the AGO.

        "I believe he is qualified and was appointed attorney general by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono because he is known to be very clean," Sitompul said.

        Hendarman's immediate action in setting up an internal team to examine prosecutors involved in the investigation of the BLBI case, was evidence of his seriousness to cleanse his office of bad law enforcers, he said.

        The team was tasked to investigate prosecutors directly or indirectly involved in the BLBI case, including Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman and the AGO's director for investigation affairs M Salim.

        Hendraman had reportedly reminded prosecutors and Kemas Yahya Rahman of the risks of their jobs. But with the arrest of UTG, the attorney general said his office needed to purged of naughty prosecutors.

        Ruhut Sitompul, who is also an executive of President Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, said Hendaman's seriousness in responding to the UTG case was reflected in the interrogation by the internal team of Kemas Yahya Rahman and M Salim on Monday.

        Besides, the attorney general had also allowed the KPK to quiz Kemas on Wednesday (March 12, 2008). "I have received a letter from the KPK asking permission to examine the junior attorney general and I have let them do it," Hendarman said.

        Kemas Yahya Rahman --who appeared on a TV program a few days before UTG's arrest to explain there were no indications of corruption in the way BDNI had settled its BLBI debt-- said he was ready for the KPK investigation.

        The fact that the KPK had begun touching the AGO might be one of the steps needed to answer mounting public suspicion about bribery related to the BLBI issue.

        "We cannot blame the public and the House if they are demanding that bad prosecutors be kicked out because the prosecutor who was earlier thought to be the best has proven to be corrupt," Sitompul said.

        The lawyer hoped the public would trust the attorney general to act against errant prosecutors in his office, noting that the AGO would carry out a cleansing program from top to botom, down to high and district prosecutor's offices in the regions. (T.A014/A/HAJM/18:20/a014) (T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 11-03-2008 19:16:33