KPK Handled 70 Cases in 2013: Deputy Chairman

Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) handled 70 cases this year, up from 49 cases last year, Deputy Chairman Bambang Widjojanto stated at a year-end press conference here on Monday. "With the addition of few more investigators, the ratio of cases being handled can be increased," he remarked. Currently, the KPK only has 75 investigators, of which 26 are new recruits, he noted. Bambang informed that this year, the KPK had conducted 76 probes, 102 investigations, and 66 prosecutions relating to new or pending cases from the previous year and executed 40 court rulings. "Several breakthroughs have been made with regard to enforcement," he added. He emphasized that all the breakthroughs were aimed to work as deterrents and as a shock therapy. They would also offer a broader chance for the return of money accrued through corrupt means. He said that, so far, Rp1.178 trillion of state funds had been returned to the state's coffers. Bambang noted that among the main breakthroughs achieved, was the implementation of a money-laundering law on almost all corruption cases handled by the KPK. Moreover, the KPK has also used other additional articles to order corruption convicts to pay for damages equivalent to the money they have stolen and also have their political rights revoked. "Meanwhile, we always strive to demand the harshest sentence in every case that we handle," he noted. Based on the KPK's year-end report, it has used Rp357.6 billion of the allocated state budget worth Rp703.8 billion this year. In the interim, the KPK has given Rp1.196 trillion worth of non-taxed state income to the state, which has been collected from handling corruption cases and graft scandals. (*)