Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Vice Chairman Laode Ida has called for the application of the reverse burden of proof principle in investigating suspected corruption committed by politicians.
He said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should ask the law enforcing agencies to implement the method for politicians or government officials allegedly implicated in the case of Muhammad Nazaruddin, the former treasurer of the s Democratic Party.
"Apply it immediately to them to see if their assets were obtained legally to assure the public of their integrity," Laode said in a statement to ANTARA.
Mohammad Nazaruddin`s allegations that some members of the Democratic Party elite were involved in his case must be followed up, he said.
Laode said it was inconceivable that Nazaruddin had acted alone in his corrupt dealings, adding Nazaruddin must have been backed by a network with members coming from his party, the bureaucracy or businessmen.
In televised statements from his overseas hideout before he was arrested, Nazaruddin had claimed that Democrat Party leaders such as Anas Urbaningrum, Andi Mallarangeng, Benny K Harman and Saan Mustofa and I Wayan Koster from the opposition Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) as well as Chandra Hamzah and others from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) were involved in his case.
Nazaruddin had remained abroad since a day before the KPK requested a travel ban for him and after he was named a suspect in a corruption case. He was arrested when he was in Cartagena, Colombia, recently.
Laode said the cost of picking up Nazaruddin in Colombia and of bringing him home had been very high so that compensation was needed for it by ensuring that all corrupters and their networks were eradicated and their assets confiscated.
He said a breakthrough in corruption eradication and prevention efforts was needed due to public skepticism towards institutions concerned with them.
"While the present regime`s platform has been `stop corruption` corruption allegations are now even directed at the ruling party and its inner circle," he said.
Therefore, Laode said, only after a special breakthrough is done including the application of the reverse burden of proof principle , as a start on politicians and officials under the President`s purview would we be able to expect for a concrete result.
"The application of the present conventional methods will not be effective because based on facts the judicial process can be engineered in any way to serve the interests of politicians or certain elites making law enforcement agencies unable to root out various corruption cases," he said.
Laode warned of a crucial situation if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and law enforcers considered Nazaruddin`s information as a mere lie by not touching the politicians and officials Nazaruddin had mentioned.
"Do not blame the public if they later think that the authorities have an interest in letting corruptors and "mafia" to loot state assets and destroy the system and the younger generation`s morality," he said.
He said that the people could not be fooled and so "let us just unite to really eradicate corrupters, judicial mafia and its network to make the country clean to meet a better future."
Loade also called on the government and law enforcers not to be discriminative in enforcing the law.
He said they had to intensify the hunt for other alleged corrupters now still at large including graft suspect Nunung Nurbaeti, the wife of a former National Police deputy chief.
He said it was strange that Nunung who had been a fugitive for a long time had not yet been caught until now. He said this was what had made the public think that law enforcers had been discriminative.(*)
He said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should ask the law enforcing agencies to implement the method for politicians or government officials allegedly implicated in the case of Muhammad Nazaruddin, the former treasurer of the s Democratic Party.
"Apply it immediately to them to see if their assets were obtained legally to assure the public of their integrity," Laode said in a statement to ANTARA.
Mohammad Nazaruddin`s allegations that some members of the Democratic Party elite were involved in his case must be followed up, he said.
Laode said it was inconceivable that Nazaruddin had acted alone in his corrupt dealings, adding Nazaruddin must have been backed by a network with members coming from his party, the bureaucracy or businessmen.
In televised statements from his overseas hideout before he was arrested, Nazaruddin had claimed that Democrat Party leaders such as Anas Urbaningrum, Andi Mallarangeng, Benny K Harman and Saan Mustofa and I Wayan Koster from the opposition Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) as well as Chandra Hamzah and others from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) were involved in his case.
Nazaruddin had remained abroad since a day before the KPK requested a travel ban for him and after he was named a suspect in a corruption case. He was arrested when he was in Cartagena, Colombia, recently.
Laode said the cost of picking up Nazaruddin in Colombia and of bringing him home had been very high so that compensation was needed for it by ensuring that all corrupters and their networks were eradicated and their assets confiscated.
He said a breakthrough in corruption eradication and prevention efforts was needed due to public skepticism towards institutions concerned with them.
"While the present regime`s platform has been `stop corruption` corruption allegations are now even directed at the ruling party and its inner circle," he said.
Therefore, Laode said, only after a special breakthrough is done including the application of the reverse burden of proof principle , as a start on politicians and officials under the President`s purview would we be able to expect for a concrete result.
"The application of the present conventional methods will not be effective because based on facts the judicial process can be engineered in any way to serve the interests of politicians or certain elites making law enforcement agencies unable to root out various corruption cases," he said.
Laode warned of a crucial situation if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and law enforcers considered Nazaruddin`s information as a mere lie by not touching the politicians and officials Nazaruddin had mentioned.
"Do not blame the public if they later think that the authorities have an interest in letting corruptors and "mafia" to loot state assets and destroy the system and the younger generation`s morality," he said.
He said that the people could not be fooled and so "let us just unite to really eradicate corrupters, judicial mafia and its network to make the country clean to meet a better future."
Loade also called on the government and law enforcers not to be discriminative in enforcing the law.
He said they had to intensify the hunt for other alleged corrupters now still at large including graft suspect Nunung Nurbaeti, the wife of a former National Police deputy chief.
He said it was strange that Nunung who had been a fugitive for a long time had not yet been caught until now. He said this was what had made the public think that law enforcers had been discriminative.(*)
