1-7-2023 (JAKARTA) Fresh accusations of embezzlement have surfaced at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), adding to the growing list of scandals plaguing the institution, including bribery and sexual assault. These allegations have raised concerns that the public’s trust in the current version of the antigraft body has been severely undermined.
A recent KPK investigation into one of its administrative workers uncovered evidence suggesting that the individual siphoned off hundreds of millions of rupiah from travel budgets designated for other KPK employees in 2021 and 2022.
“The alleged corruption came to light when the employee’s superiors noticed delays in administrative processes and budget cuts affecting other KPK employees who were on official duty,” stated KPK Secretary General Cahya Harefa during a press conference on Tuesday.
Upon receiving the report, the KPK inspectorate conducted an initial internal investigation, revealing that the embezzlement had cost the state approximately Rp 550 million (US$36,600). It remains uncertain whether the employee acted alone.
The KPK’s law enforcement division has now launched a full investigation into the dismissed employee.
This revelation comes amidst another internal probe into corruption allegations involving KPK detention center employees. Preliminary reports suggest that bribes totaling around Rp 4 billion were taken from detainees between December 2021 and March 2022.
KPK Deputy Head Nurul Ghufron stated earlier this week that the implicated detention officers allegedly accepted bribes to smuggle cash and communication devices into one of the KPK’s four detention centers.
The corruption came to light during an investigation by the KPK supervisory board, which was initially examining one of the detention center employees for a separate allegation of sexual misconduct.
In April, an internal ethics hearing found the employee guilty of assaulting the wife of a KPK detainee, resulting in a pay cut as punishment.
Calls for Action and Questionable Leadership
Activists and lawmakers are urging the KPK to take decisive action against employee misconduct to preserve the institution’s effectiveness and reputation.
“These cases continue to erode the public’s trust in the KPK,” said lawmaker Arsul Sani on Wednesday, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), an anticorruption watchdog, attributes the recent series of scandals to KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri’s poor leadership. ICW activist Diky Anandya stated, “These recent cases demonstrate that the current KPK leadership, particularly Firli, has failed to set an example,” in an interview with The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Diky called for Firli’s immediate resignation and urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to take responsibility for the KPK’s deteriorating performance under Firli’s leadership.
The KPK has been embroiled in numerous controversies since Firli assumed office in 2019, including a highly criticized civic knowledge test used to justify the dismissal of dozens of KPK employees in 2021 and the contentious removal of Endar Priatoro, a police brigadier general who previously served as the KPK’s investigations director.
In response to a Constitutional Court ruling in late May extending the tenure of KPK leaders from four to five years, the government recently decided to extend the terms of Firli and the four other current leaders beyond the original end-date of December 20.
Diky emphasized the importance of the KPK promptly addressing ongoing workforce issues and upholding professionalism in preparation for the 2024 elections.
“To ensure a fair election, the public desperately needs clean law enforcement institutions that are free from conflicts of interest,” he added.
Indonesia’s Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International saw a four-point decline to 34, the country’s largest drop in 25 years and one of the region’s worst year-on-year performances.
Transparency International Indonesia (TII) highlighted the “political risk service index” as a key contributor to the overall score decline, indicating a rise in graft, bribery, illicit kickbacks, and conflicts of interest among decision-makers.
