http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-presidents-relatives-release-raises-doubts-about-corruption-fight/392116
Indonesian President's Relative's Release Raises Doubts About Corruption Fight
Nivell Rayda & Markus Junianto Sihaloho | August 21, 201
Jakarta. Just a day after receiving a sentence reduction, Aulia Pohan, the
father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's eldest son, quietly
walked out of prison this week, raising questions about the government's
commitment to be tough on corrupt officials.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar confirmed on Friday that the
former Bank Indonesia deputy governor was released on Wednesday, a day after
receiving a six-month remission on his three-year jail term. He was one of
53,000 convicts nationwide who received sentence remissions on Independence Day.
Aulia and three other BI officials were each sentenced in June 2009 to four and
half years in jail for their roles in the embezzlement of Rp 100 billion ($11.1
million) from a central bank foundation in 2003. The sentences were cut to
three years after an appeal to the Supreme Court in March.
Patrialis said the other three - Maman Sumantri, Bunbunan Hutapea and Aslim
Tadjuddin - were also paroled. "They all served two-thirds of their sentences,"
he said. The four had been in prison for over 20 months, as they were first
taken into custody in November 2008.
Topo Santoso, a legal analyst from University of Indonesia, said that by
releasing corrupt officials, the government had failed to live up to its
promises of zero tolerance for graft. "It is about sensitivity. We can only
guess the reasoning behind the parole. A lot of convicts who aren't as well
connected have been denied time and again despite the fact that they too are
eligible for parole," he said.
Eryanto Nugroho, executive director of the Center for Law and Policy Studies, a
judiciary watchdog, said the early release "betrays the people's sense of
justice. It shows that the government's commitment toward eradicating
corruption is merely lip service."
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Deputy Haryono Umar demanded revisions
to regulations on remissions and pardons. "The government needs to evaluate the
effectiveness of its regulations concerning corruption in the country," he
said. "Part of the function of the penal and law-enforcement systems is to
deter crime and curb repeat offenders. I don't see that happening if these
conditions continue."
Martin Hutabarat, a lawmaker from the opposition Great Indonesia Movement party
(Gerindra), said any leniency shown to corruption convicts was intolerable,
given the effect of their actions on the public.
"To be fair, besides being sent to prison, there must be a new mechanism to
seize the wealth of those who commit corruption and put it in the state
treasury," Martin said.
Other lawmakers were more forgiving. Gayus Lumbuun, from the opposition
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), hesitated to criticize the
decision. "Let the people decide whether the remission is in line with the
government's anticorruption program and whether the president has done his job
properly," he said.
Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from the Golkar Party, was surprised
to hear of Aulia's parole, but urged the public to view the decision positively.
"Maybe we feel that their time in prison was very short, but it still means
that they have served the punishment," Priyo said. "If the Minister of Justice
and Human Rights approved the decision, then it's legitimate."
