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Today's Headlines Political Corruption
Setya Novanto, the Chairman of Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR), has been named as suspect in a corruption case by the country's corruption watchdog Corruption Eradication Commission (in Indonesian: Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi, or KPK). The case involves the large-scale procurement project for the electronic identity card or e-ID card.
During the last couple of years of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)'s second cabinet (2009-2014) there erupted a number of high profile corruption cases that involved several of his ministers as well as leading figures in his Democratic Party (in Indonesian: Partai Demokrat, abbreviated as PD). As a result, the PD party dropped significantly in the 2014 parliamentary election (this loss was also caused by the inability of SBY to find a new charismatic leader for the party, while SBY himself could not participate in the 2014 presidential election as he was finishing his final presidential term).
Another (former) minister under the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration was arrested in a corruption case. On Thursday (27/10) former state-owned enterprises minister Dahlan Iskan was named a suspect and arrested by the Prosecutor Office of East Java. Dahlan is suspected of being involved in irregular sales of assets owned by the Province of East Java and managed by regional state-owned property company Panca Wira Usaha. Dahlan served as president director of Panca Wira Usaha between 2000-2009. The irregular sales were reportedly conducted between 2002-2004.
Indonesia's Regional Representatives Council speaker Irman Gusman will be removed from his position on Tuesday (20/09) after being named a suspect by the nation's anti-corruption watchdog (Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK) in Indonesia's latest corruption case. Allegedly, Gusman accepted a IDR 100 million (approx. USD $7,500) bribe for lobbying to manipulate West Sumatra's sugar import quota. Earlier this year State Procurement Agency Bulog imposed the quota to a company called CVSB. It is yet another graft case related to Indonesia's import quota system for food commodities.
Former Indonesian Minister of Tourism (2004-2011) as well as former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (2011-2014) Jero Wacik was sentenced to four years in prison and a IDR 150 million fine by the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday (09/02) as he was found guilty of being involved in two embezzlement cases. Wacik is yet another example of a high positioned Indonesian politician that sees his career ended by a corruption scandal and prison sentence.
In the latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled by Transparency International (a Germany-based politically non-partisan institution), Indonesia's ranking improved to 88th (from 107th in last year's edition). As such, Indonesia continues to rise through the ranks of the index. Although this is a very encouraging development, it needs to be emphasized that the nation is still plagued by a high degree of corruption. Transparency International's index measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians.
Two days after the sentencing of central banker Budi Mulya, the next high profile verdict has been delivered in Indonesia. Andi Mallarangeng, the country’s former Youth and Sport Affairs minister, was sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of IDR 200 million on Friday (18/07) by the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court for his role in the construction of the Hambalang sports complex in Bogor (West Java). This sentence is much lighter than the prosecutors' demand for ten years imprisonment.
Late on Monday evening (30/06), Indonesia’s Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court sentenced former Chief Justice of the country's Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi) Akil Mochtar to life imprisonment as he was found guilty of corruption as well as money laundering. Mochtar was arrested in October 2013 by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) after investigators had been tapping his telephone. This corruption case is another blow for the reputation of Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will end his second term as president in October 2014, is expected to appoint Lukman Saifuddin as the new Minister of Religious Affairs on Monday (09/06) or Tuesday (10/06) next week. The position of Religious Affairs minister has been vacant since Suryadharma Ali stepped down from his post in late May 2014 to focus on his defense after being named a suspect (by the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission, KPK) in the hajj pilgrimage fund-corruption case.
Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali resigned from his ministerial post today (26/05) after having been named a suspect in a corruption case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last week. Ali is accused of mishandling the country’s hajj pilgrimage fund. This fund is centrally managed by the government and contains deposits paid by people who want to make the holy journey to Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Ali resigned in order to concentrate fully on his defense in the graft case.
Latest Columns Political Corruption
Although Indonesia's score was unchanged, the nation's ranking fell in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled by Berlin-based Transparency International. In the 2017 edition, Southeast Asia's largest economy Indonesia ranks 96th, down from 90th in last year's edition. The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption (based on input from experts and businessmen), uses a scale from 0.0 (highly corrupt) to 1.0 (very clean).
The latest survey of Berlin-based Transparency International confirms that Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) is perceived - among Indonesians - as the most corrupt institution in the country. This outcome is no surprise because the DPR, the elected national legislative assembly that draws up and passes laws and budgets as well as monitors the performance of the government, has for long been perceived by the Indonesian people as the most corrupt institution within the country.
Jero Wacik, Indonesia's former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (2011-2014) and Minister of Culture and Tourism (2004-2011), could face nine years in prison, a fine of IDR 350 million and may have to pay compensation up to IDR 18.8 billion to the government. These are the demands expressed by prosecutor Dody Sukmono at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) on Thursday (21/01). Wacik is being accused of mishandling ministerial funds and extortion by the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Former Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali (who was also Chairman of the Islamic political party PPP) was sentenced to six years in jail and a fine of IDR 300 million (or three additional months in prison) by the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) on Monday (11/01). Suryadharma was found guilty of self-enrichment by deliberately mishandling state funds that were allocated to the hajj pilgrimage program covering the financial years 2010-2013.
Berlin-based Transparency International released the 2014 edition of its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) earlier this week. In the new edition Indonesia was ranked 107th (out a total of 175 countries), up from 114th in the previous edition. As such, Indonesia continues to improve gradually through the ranks of the index. However, with a score of 34 (out of a possible - and perfect - score of 100) the country still lags behind its regional peers such as Singapore (84), Malaysia (52) and the Philippines (38).
On Tuesday (29/04), Jakarta's Anti-Corruption Court sentenced Rudi Rubiandini, former Head of Indonesia's oil & gas regulator SKK Migas, to seven years in prison for money laundering and accepting bribes from Singapore-based Kernel Oil Pte Ltd and Indonesia-based Kaltim Parna Industri. These bribes were given in exchange for securing a win in an oil tender. In addition, Rubiandini was imposed a fine of IDR 200 million (or another three months in prison). Rubiandini was reported to not file an appeal to the court's verdict.
The tax crime case which involves Bank Central Asia (BCA), Indonesia's largest lender by market value and the second-largest bank by assets, is not expected to have a significant impact on the performance of the shares of BCA. Earlier this week, Hadi Poernomo (Director General of taxation from 2002 to 2004) was questioned by Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on allegations of accepting bribes in exchange for tax exemptions - worth of IDR 375 billion (USD $32.8 million) - granted to BCA.
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