For the sake of justice, legal processes must be carried out based on applicable laws."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - It is believed that granting immunity to commissioners of the Indonesia Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would violate the constitution because every person is equal under law.
"The plan to grant immunity to commissioners of the KPK should not be debated as it goes against the principle of equality before law," Executive Director of the Indonesian Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Defense (IC3D), Teuku Rezasyah, said here on Wednesday.
Rezasyah remarked that legal cases involving personnel of the KPK and the police must be seen clearly and not associated with politics.
"People hope that law enforcement agencies follow proper procedures and do not associate cases with politics. If they work unilaterally, there is a possibility of demands for social justice to emerge, and for not legal justice," he emphasized.
"For the sake of justice, legal processes must be carried out based on applicable laws. However, processes involved in investigations should be audited independently," the executive director of IC3D stated.
Earlier, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla had stressed that no Indonesian citizen is immune from laws, irrespective of whether s/he is the president or some other top state official.
"There is no absolute immunity. If the president can be summoned, so can the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission. All citizens are equal before the law," he reiterated at his office here on Tuesday (January 27).
If somebody is involved in a legal case, s/he will deserve her/his punishment. However, if s/he is found not involved in the case through court proceedings, s/he must be acquitted of the punishment, Kalla pointed out.
"How can the KPK chief be immune from the law if s/he hits somebody else? In my opinion, the KPK chief must set a good example for others," he remarked.
The vice president added that everybody must abide by laws and that nobody is immune from the law.
Deputy Chairman of the KPK Adnan Pandu Praja had asked President Joko Widodo to issue a government regulation in lieu of law regarding granting the KPK leadership and staff immunity from the law to thwart any attempts to delegitimize the anti-graft body.
"We are struggling now. We were chosen from among millions of Indonesians to combat corruption, and are working towards that end. If we are criminalized while carrying out our duties, all efforts towards eradicating corruption will be disrupted," Praja noted.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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