Criminalization

President must stop KPK criminalization: Analysts

The most important tool in stamping out systemic corruption in the countrys legal
institutions is for President Joko Jokowi Widodo to consolidate his power and exert his
political will to carry out the task, says a legal activist.
Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) director Asfinawati said that due to the
Corruption Eradication Commissions (KPK) effectiveness in probing graft cases involving
some of the countrys most important institutions, many in powerful positions are now
gunning for the antigraft bodys downfall.
The KPKs attempt earlier this year to name current National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen.
Budi Gunawan as a graft suspect demonstrated the commissions power in its ability to affect
high-ranking positions, therefore triggering a response by the police in cracking down on the
KPKs operations.

Rights groups criticize Indonesias criminal proceedings

Death penalty convicts in Indonesia were frequently not given access to lawyers and were
forced to confess after being severely beaten, says Amnesty International in its report released
in Jakarta on Thursday.

The report says that during the investigation, prosecutors often used violence to force the
suspects to admit to their crimes and did not perform a professional investigation instead.
The Amnesty Internationals report is similar to the results of a study conducted by local civil
society groups, such as the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).
ICJR executive director Supriyadi said Amnesty's report strengthened its institutional
findings in 2014 that unveiled flaws in Indonesia's criminal proceedings.
Meanwhile, head of Kontras civil and political rights division Putri Kanesia, who assisted
death penalty convicts, said that the government should have understood whether they
implemented the right criminal proceedings for death penalty convicts. "Our goal is to
enforce law, not to force it," Putri said.

Malaysian leader faces risk of criminal charge over funds

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing the risk of a criminal charge over allegations
that millions of dollars were funneled from an indebted state fund to his personal bank
accounts, the first time the country's leader has faced criminal allegations.
The attorney general confirmed late Saturday he has received documents from an official
investigation that made the link between Najib and the investment fund 1MDB. The existence
of the documents was first reported by the Asian Wall Street Journal on Friday, showing some
$700 million were wired from entities linked to the fund into Najib's accounts.
The documents sent to the attorney general pave the way for possible criminal charges.