‘Unlawfulness’ and Corruption Under Indonesian Law

Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 179-198, 2009

Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 10/69

30 Pages Posted: 29 Jul 2010

See all articles by Simon Butt

Simon Butt

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law

Date Written: July 28, 2010

Abstract

The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi, or KPK) and Anti-Corruption Court (Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi, or Tipikor Court), both established in 2003 and reputedly corruption-free, have been making steady progress in the investigation, prosecution and conviction of those involved in corruption. The KPK has successfully investigated and prosecuted a variety of officials, ranging from mid-level prosecutors and senior civil servants to provincial governors and even national parliamentarians. The Anti-Corruption Court, part of Indonesia’s general courts but with three non-career judges on each five-member panel, had, at time of writing, heard over 100 corruption cases and had maintained a 100% conviction rate. These are significant achievements in a country which has been traditionally considered to have some of the world’s most corrupt institutions – including those institutions entrusted with enforcing the law. However, the future success of this drive appears to be in jeopardy, largely because decisions of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court have cast doubt upon, and even invalidated, aspects of Indonesia’s purpose-built legal framework for handling corruption cases. This article discuses some of the Constitutional Court decisions.

Keywords: corruption, judiciary, law, Indonesia

JEL Classification: K10, K30, K33

Suggested Citation

Butt, Simon, ‘Unlawfulness’ and Corruption Under Indonesian Law (July 28, 2010). Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 179-198, 2009, Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 10/69, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1650424

Simon Butt (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law ( email )

New Law Building, F10
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

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