Heru Andriyanto – Critics on Monday attacked the Attorney General's Office for its decision to entrust two officials who were at the center of a major bribery case last year with corruption cases at the district and provincial levels.
Kemas Yahya Rahman, former deputy attorney general for special crimes, and Muhammad Salim, former director of corruption investigations, have been included in the AGO's newly established supervisory team on corruption cases and maritime and economic crimes, less than a year after the two were involved in a bribery case that was a major embarrassment for the office and removed from their positions.
"Two officials who should have been prosecuted and convicted of a bribery case are now given a chance to continue their careers," said Marwan Batubara, head of the anticorruption team with the Regional Representatives Council, or DPD.
"That's really not what we want to hear from the AGO." He said appointing troubled officials would further tarnish the AGO's reputation, which is already in tatters after the bribery case was brought to court by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.
Kemas and Salim came under scrutiny last year after the Anti-Corruption Court in Jakarta played recordings of their phone conversations with a businesswoman, Artalyta Suryani, who was later convicted of bribing prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan and sentenced to five years in jail.
In the conversations, they used affectionate nicknames for one another while discussing the major embezzlement case of tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, an associate of Artalyta's.
The embezzlement case was dropped by Kemas on Feb. 29 last year. One day later, Kemas phoned Artalyta and said "my job is done," apparently referring to the termination of the case.
"It's very disappointing. Their appointment reflects the AGO's insensitivity toward the public," said Emerson Yuntho, coordinator of legal affairs with the nongovernmental organization Indonesia Corruption Watch. "The new jobs of the two officials will allow them to intervene in corruption cases being handled by the AGO."
AGO spokesman Jasman Panjaitan said that Kemas would be the coordinator of the supervisory team. Leaving a former deputy jobless, he said, "is a waste of talent."
"He has the experience as a deputy for special crimes. He could become a big help to regional prosecutors in better preparing indictments for corruption cases," Jasman said of Kemas, adding that their cases would be limited to those at the district and provincial levels.