Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Antigraft activists have slammed the remission system for corruption convicts following the release of high-profile embezzler Aulia Pohan on Friday.

Aulia, a former deputy governor of Bank Indonesia and the father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's elder son, was sentenced to four years in prison last year for embezzling Rp 100 billion ($11 million) from the central bank in 2003.

In March, he had his sentence cut to three years after appealing to the Supreme Court and on Tuesday he received a remission, for Independence Day. A day later, he was granted parole, and walked free the same day. Three other BI executives jailed in the same case were also released.

"They all are eligible for parole," Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said. "They all received sentence reductions, which means that they have already served two-thirds of their sentence."

The ministry oversees the penal system and is in charge of granting remissions, which are traditionally given during major national holidays to prisoners who have exhibited good behavior after having served three-quarters of their sentence.

Eryanto Nugroho, executive director of judiciary watchdog the Legal and Policy Study Center (PSHK), said there was no clear definition of "good behavior."

"The whole process must be accountable and transparent," he told the Jakarta Globe. "The decision should not rest solely with an institution like the Justice Ministry but also involve the law enforcers who prosecuted the case and strict monitoring from members of society."

Emerson Yuntho, deputy chairman of Indonesia Corruption Watch, called for the remission process to be standardized.

"The definition of good behavior is very subjective and loosely interpreted by prison officials," he said, adding that ICW had interviewed several inmates about the system. "Our research shows remissions are easily manipulated. There's lots of potential for bribery and graft," Emerson said.

Teten Masduki, secretary general of Transparency International Indonesia, said the government should focus on other sanctions than jail time, such as heftier fines and asset seizures.

Topo Santoso, a legal expert from the University of Indonesia, said the system could work if the officials in charge were more committed to eradicating graft. "Many of the regulations and procedures on remissions and parole are modeled after those in developed countries," he said.

"The Justice Ministry has a department specializing in reviewing parole and remission requests. There are dedicated judges who monitor parolees, but the system doesn't work because it's run by incompetent or corrupt people."

Topo said that giving preferential treatment to corruption convicts in terms of remissions and parole betrayed the public's sense of justice and victimized the rest of the prison population.

"There are inmates who have been waiting for parole for years and have been rejected, despite being gravely ill," he said. "It's different for corruption convicts. The moment they become eligible for parole, they file for it and the next day it is granted."

Separately on Friday, graft convict and former legislator Yusuf Erwin Faishal arrived at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office for questioning as a witness over a bribery scandal, with no prison official in sight.

Yusuf said the Justice Ministry had put him on an "assimilation program" to allow him to gradually reintegrate back into society and only spend limited time in prison. The former National Awakening Party (PKB) politician also said the ministry had cut his four and a half year sentence by three months.