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ICW red flags 10 KPK commissioner candidates

Jakarta Post - August 22, 2015

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Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has noted bad track records for 10 out of 19 candidates shortlisted to lead the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The candidates, selected by the all-female panel set up by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in May, are vying to become KPK commissioners for the period 2015 to 2020.

"As many as 10 candidates have negative track records," said a spokesperson for the ICW as quoted by tribunnews.com. He declined, however, to name the candidates that his institution had marked with red ink, but he said that they were all professionals working in state apparatus offices.

Based on the ICW research, eight of the ten apparently undesirable candidates have poor records in terms of integrity, while the other two simply lack the capacity to play the role of a KPK commissioner. "In our opinion, they do not deserve to hold the position of KPK commissioner," according to Febri Hendri of the ICW.

Among the bad records discovered by the ICW were asking a subordinate to commit an abuse of power and engaging in business with bad human-rights and environmental standards. There is also a candidate with a history of tax evasion and with problematic links to political parties. Another candidate has links with the National Intelligence Agency.

Other candidates have been accused of embezzling funds in their workplaces, according to the ICW, and others seem to have no real intention to fight corruption, based on their records of acquitting alleged corruptors or after convicting them, giving them light sentences.

The ICW has delivered its findings on the KPK candidates to the official selection panel during a meeting the panel had with the State Secretary on Friday night. ICW has called on the selection panel not to include the ten red-flagged candidates in its submission to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who along with members of the House of Representatives will also assess their suitability.

President Jokowi selected nine female experts for the KPK commissioners' selection panel. The team members' backgrounds include law, economics and management, psychology, sociology and governance studies. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/08/22/icw-red-flags-10-kpk-commissioner-candidates.html-0.