Indonesia: KPK, activists slam Jokowi’s clemency for graft convict Annas Maamun

  • The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and anticorruption activists have lamented President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to grant clemency to former Riau governor Annas Maamun, making him eligible for parole in Oct 20.
  • Ade Kusmanto, the head spokesperson for the corrections division in the Law and Human Rights Ministry, confirmed that the clemency was issued on 25 Oct 19.
  • “We were quite surprised when we heard about the granting of clemency to Annas Maamun, who had been involved in a number of corruption cases that are being handled by the KPK,” KPK spokesperson Febri Diansyah said in a statement on 26 Nov 19.
  • Annas had been convicted of accepting over IDR1.5bn in bribes in a forest conversion case that caused IDR5bn (USD375,460) in state losses, and was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in 2015.
  • The clemency reduces Annas’ sentence to six years, putting his unconditional release date at Oct 21 and his parole date at Oct 20.
  • “We have to understand that corruption in the forestry sector greatly affects the forests, the environment and the public interest,” Febri said.
  • Graft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) also expressed its disappointment at Jokowi’s decision, saying that it was another display of the President’s lack of commitment toward fighting graft.
  • “This step from President Joko Widodo [to grant Annas clemency] injures the public’s sense of justice because it is the public that is most affected by the corruption crimes that the convict has committed,” ICW said.

External Link : https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/27/kpk-activists-slam-jokowis-clemency-for-graft-convict-annas-maamun.html

27-Nov-2019