Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (R)

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Tuesday will fill three leadership posts at the country’s anti-graft body that were vacated due to criminal probes with former commissioners and a United Nations adviser.

Yudhoyono suspended Antasari Azhar, chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, in May after police named him a suspect in a murder case. On Sept. 21, the president suspended two of KPK’s four deputies, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Rianto, after they were charged with abusing their powers in issuing travel bans against two people being investigated for corruption.

Yudhoyono, who won a second five-year term in July, has pledged to curb corruption to attract investors in Indonesia. KPK and its partner, the Corruption Crimes Court, were formed by former President Megawati Soekarnoputri as an alternative to pursuing cases through Indonesia’s regular justice system. Since Yudhoyono’s election to a first term in 2004, the special agencies have convicted legislators, governors and policemen.

“The Yudhoyono anti-graft campaign hinges on the achievements of the KPK and the corruption court,” Teten Masduki, secretary general of Transparency International’s Indonesian branch, said Sept. 30.

Sibling rivalry

Yudhoyono told KPK and the police July 13 to settle “frictions” between the two agencies and improve their coordination. Researcher Febri Diansyah from the Indonesian Corruption Watch, the nation’s leading anti-graft watchdog, said the rivalry “is not a secret.” National police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Sept. 25 the police have no intention “to deflate KPK like some have said.”

While Indonesia’s ranking in Transparency International’s corruption-perception index has improved, it ranks 126th on the 2008 index, lower than Nigeria and Vietnam.

Source: Bloomberg