Nivell Rayda – On the surface, the halls of the great imposing compound are lavish and dignified, with imported marble walls and expensive leather sofas. Scratch the surface, however, and the place is tainted by extortion, bribery, shady deals and few outward signs of remorse. Welcome to the House of Representatives.

The House is repeatedly listed as among the most graft-ridden institutions in the country by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, and independent anti-graft watchdogs Transparency International and Indonesia Corruption Watch.

The statistics speak for themselves: Six former or current lawmakers have been convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court in the past year, two are currently on trial and entire House commissions have been implicated in graft.

The court trials have given the public a glimpse into the depth of corruption in the House, seemingly showing that no political parties that hold seats are clean. The latest corruption case involving a lawmaker came only last week, when KPK officers arrested Abdul Hadi Djamal, a legislator from the National Mandate Party, or PAN. He allegedly received more than $90,000 in bribe money in relation to state airport and seaport projects in the eastern part of the country.

Lawmaker Sarjan Taher, sentenced in January to 4 years in prison for accepting Rp 5 billion ($420,000) in bribes from officials in South Sumatra Province in return for issuing a forest conversion permit, told the Anti-Corruption Court at his trial that graft is so common in the House it is almost mandatory.

"In the House, it is common to accept money from someone in exchange for a favor," said Sarjan, a member of the Democratic Party. "My integrity faltered in the face of such rampant practices. If I didn't take the money, my friends [in the House] would question why, accusing me of [secretly] taking all the money for myself." Sarjan admitted to distributing between Rp 20 million and Rp 500 million to all 21 members of House Commission IV, which oversees forestry issues, while he kept Rp 350 million for himself.

Despite the pressing national issues being discussed in the House, such as the budgets of ministries, strategic planning and state projects, lawmakers still find time to interfere with government tenders by supporting certain companies to win bids in exchange for kickbacks.

During the ongoing trial of a Reform Star Party, or PBR, lawmaker, Bulyan Royan, the court revealed that as soon as the Ministry of Transportation announced a plan to purchase 20 patrol boats, 13 lawmakers immediately sent the ministry letters of support for certain companies. This was even before the House had approved the budget and the official tender was announced.

Bulyan allegedly received Rp 3.4 billion in kickbacks from five companies that later shared the lucrative tender.

Influential House members apparently set prices for everything including passing a bill or a favorable amendment, the approval of a government budget and confirming important government positions, according to the KPK and court testimonies.

Lawmaker Agus Condro from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, told the KPK that he and 41 lawmakers received at least Rp 500 million to vote for senior economist Miranda Goeltom in her bid to become central bank deputy governor in 2004.

If proven true, the case is a reflection of the blatant misuse of power by legislators. The ICW said the House is more powerful now than it was during the Suharto era and should be stripped of some of its powers.

"The House should only be allowed to inspect a ministry's budget in a general sense," said Adnan Topan Husodo, a political analyst for the watchdog. "Right now, they are able to inspect all the way through each program's budget. Lawmakers use this power to target government projects or extort companies for kickbacks by threatening to revoke the project's budget."

With so many lawmakers arrested or under suspicion, the ICW said there have been several attempts to curb the KPK's powers, including an attempt to reduce its budget and stalling the passage of a bill establishing a permanent anti-corruption court, which would handle all of the KPK's legal cases.

In January, the House rejected the KPK's plan to build its own detention facility and recruit more staff. Currently, the KPK holds all of its suspects in police detention facilities, which has enabled suspects to pay for more comfortable treatment.

With only around 300 investigators and prosecutors, the KPK has problems investigating the more than 2,000 public complaints lodged with the commission every year, particularly those outside Jakarta. The KPK's budget of Rp 188 billion was finally approved by the Ministry of Finance but, ironically and embarrassingly, without the House's approval.

In 2007, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Anti-Corruption Court was unconstitutional and ordered the House to pass a new law to make the court permanent by Dec. 19, 2009. Otherwise, the court would have to disband. "With so many of their friends [at the House] arrested for graft, lawmakers have a vested interest in seeing the Anti-Corruption Court terminated," Adnan said.

Last month, all 38 political parties contesting the April 9 legislative elections signed a declaration at the KPK headquarters pledging to put corruption eradication at the top of their political agenda.

"If they are really committed to fighting corruption, they should expedite the deliberation process and pass the bill before their term ends," Adnan said.

Noor Adenan Razak - National Mandate Party, or PAN

Sentenced to three years in prison on May 8, 2008, for accepting more than Rp 1.5 billion ($124,500) in bribe money from two officials at the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency. The court found that in return for the money, Noor Adenan approved the agency's request for an additional Rp 35 billion for its 2004 budget.

Saleh Djasit - Golkar Party

Sentenced on Aug. 28, 2008, to four years in prison for appointing PT Istana Sarana Raya to provide Riau Province with 20 fire engines, worth more than Rp 20 billion, without a tender process in 2003. Saleh was Riau's governor at the time.

Al-Amin Nasution - United Development Party, or PPP

Sentenced on Jan. 5, 2009, to eight years jail for two separate cases. He took Rp 2.2 billion in bribes to issue a forest conversion permit in Bintan district, Riau Islands Province, in 2008, and was convicted of extorting two winners of a Ministry of Forestry tender to provide forest surveying equipment in 2008. He got another Rp 1.8 billion in the extortion.

Hamka Yandhu & Anthony Zeidra Abidin - Golkar Party

Sentenced on Jan. 7, 2009, to 3 years and 4-and-a-half-years in prison respectively. They got Rp 31.5 billion in bribes from Bank Indonesia in 2003 and distributed the money to all 52 members of House Commission XI for an amendment to the central bank law and endorsement in a dispute between the bank and the Ministry of Finance over state bailout funds.

Bulyan Royan - Reform Star Party, or PBR

Arrested on July 1, 2008, Bulyan is now on trial for allegedly receiving more than Rp 3.3 billion from five companies in return for naming them winners in a Ministry of Transportation tender to provide 20 patrol boats in 2008.

Sarjan Taher - Democratic Party

Sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on Jan. 28, 2009, for accepting Rp 5 billion in 2006-07. The money was later channeled to all 21 members of House Commission IV, overseeing forestry, to expedite the conversion of a protected forest in South Sumatra Province into the Tanjung Api-Api seaport.

Yusuf Erwin Faishal - National Awakening Party, or PKB

Arrested on July 16, 2008. Now on trial for allegedly cooperating with Sarjan Taher in distributing the Rp 5 billion to other lawmakers. Also charged with taking Rp 125 million and 220,000 Singapore dollars from two business-men for naming their firm, PT Masaro Radiokom, provider of a radio system for the Ministry of Forestry without tender in 2007.

Abdul Hadi Djamal - PAN

Arrested on March 2, 2009, for allegedly receiving $90,000 and Rp 54 million from a businessman in connection with the Transportation Ministry's plan to build several seaports and airports in the eastern part of the country. Abdul Hadi is still under investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission.

Agus Condro - Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P

On Aug. 7, 2008, admitted to Corruption Eradication Commission that he and 40 other lawmakers of House Commission XI received between Rp 300 million and Rp 1 billion in relation to economist Miranda Goeltom's appointment as Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor in 2004. KPK is still investigating; no other suspect has been named.