Antigraft Body Refuses to Appear at House Hearings Until Constitutional Court Finishes Review
Jakarta. The Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, said that it will await the conclusion of a Constitutional Court judicial review first before answering any summons by the House of Representative's special committee of inquiry regarding the agency's effectiveness.
KPK declined to attend a hearing on Tuesday (17/10) and sent a letter to parliament confirming the agency's absence. The antigraft body declined to answer another House summons late last month.
KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said at his office on the same day that the agency opted to not attend as it is still waiting for the results of the Constitutional Court's review regarding the committee's motives for inquiry.
"We respect the House's function as a supervisory body, but it's important for us to know the result of the judicial review first," Febri told reporters on Tuesday.
Previously, the KPK employees union filed a request for the review in July.
"We're waiting on a decision from the Constitutional Court as to whether the House's inquiry [...] is relevant. That's why we chose not to attend the hearings," he said.
Anticorruption activists have stated that the House's inquiry into the KPK is not justified because KPK is an independent body.
Febri added that Tuesday's hearing was intended to question KPK representatives in regards to the agency's performance.
The parliament formed the special committee around the same time the scandal surrounding the illegal procurement of funds associated with the electronic identity cards (e-KTP) first came to light, which involved Rp 2.3 trillion ($170 million) losses in state funds.
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