Irawaty Wardany and Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he will soon issue a government regulation in-lieu-of-law (perppu) to fill the vacant leadership in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), three of whose five leaders have been implicated in criminal cases.
The President said Thursday evening he had consulted with the heads of three state institutions – House of Representatives speaker Agung Laksono, Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD and Supreme Court chief Harifin A. Tumpa – on the matter, and that they all agreed on the perppu issuance.
"All three think it is logical to issue the perppu in the absence of (legal) reference to tackle this issue (of vacant KPK leadership). I will soon issue a perppu that will allow for a selection of KPK interim leaders," he said after a break-fasting dinner with journalists at the Presidential Palace.
Suspended KPK chief Antasari Azhar will soon stand trial for murder and will have to relinquish his post in accordance with the KPK law. Deputy chiefs Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto have been named suspects for their alleged abuses of power.
Meanwhile, a team of lawyers for Chandra and Bibit accused the police of incorrect procedure, saying the police could not directly hold them as suspects only for the alleged power abuse.
"If somebody objects to KPK's actions related to a travel ban or travel ban lifting they can file a pre-trial lawsuit or one for rehabilitation and not directly criminalize its authority and supposed that the two have abused their power," Eri Hertiawan told a conference here Thursday.
Eri was one of 20 lawyers for the two KPK deputies, who were declared suspects for alleged authority abuse of issuing travel ban for Anggoro Widjojo, a KPK suspect in a major graft case and Joko S Chandra due to alleged involvement in a bribery case.
"Can this be considered as criminal violation, if such authority is stipulated in the 2002 KPK law?" asked Alexander Lay, another of the KPK deputies's lawyers.
He said in addition to the police following the wrong procedure, the mishandling of the case could cause chaos in the criminal system as all legal enforcers who dealt with the investigation process could be criminalized by other investigators.