If Found Guilty of Ethics Violation, Firli Bahuri May be Asked to Resign

KOMPAS/PRAYOGI DWI SULISTYO

Corruption Eradication Commission chairman Firli Bahuri (center, foreground) attends an ethics hearing with the KPK Supervisory Board on Tuesday (25/8/2020) in Jakarta. Firli was questioned for allegedly violating the code of ethics by chartering a helicopter for personal use.

Firli Bahuri could be asked to resign from his position as KPK chairman should he be found to have violated the ethics code for practicing a hedonistic lifestyle by renting a luxury helicopter for personal purposes.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS— The chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Firli Bahuri, could be asked to submit his resignation should he be found to have violated the ethics code through a hedonistic lifestyle. Civil society groups have asked the KPK Supervisory Board to further investigate Firli\'s use of a helicopter for a personal trip in South Sumatra at the end of June.

Firli Bahuri underwent an ethics hearing by the KPK Supervisory Board on Tuesday (25/8/2020) for his use of a luxury helicopter for a personal trip at the end of June. Firli said the use of the helicopter at the time was because of a need for fast mobility and that the helicopter rental fee came out of his own pocket.

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Regarding the ethics hearing, Indonesia Corruption Watch researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said the public viewed Firli’s use of a helicopter as an unusual act for a KPK chairman, even though he used his own money, because the use of a helicopter for personal purpose was a form of hedonism that violated the ethics code.

"Hopefully, the Dewas [KPK Supervisory Board] will not only handle the case as a formality. They should not immediately trust his [Firli’s] statement but should dig into this problem further," Kurnia said when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said the rule regarding the ethics violation was stipulated in KPK Supervisory Board Regulation No. 2/2020 on the enforcement of the ethics code. In the Integrity section, Article 4, Paragraph (2), Letter m mentions the prohibition of displaying a hedonistic lifestyle, as a form of empathy with the community.

DOKUMENTASI MAKI

Corruption Eradication Commission chairman Firli Bahuri is seated in a chartered helicopter on Saturday (20/6/2020) prior to departing for Baturaja, South Sumatra. Firli is under investigation for allegedly violating the KPK code of ethics, which prohibits excessive lifestyles.

Article 9 Paragraph (2) states that violations of the provisions set out in articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 could be classified as minor, moderate or serious offenses, depending on the impact or loss caused.

Meanwhile, Article 9 Paragraph 3 mentions the classification of the impact or loss as referred to in Paragraph (2); Letter a, the impact or loss on the deputy and/or on the Secretariat General is a minor violation; letter b, the impact or loss on the commission is a moderate violation and letter c, the impact on the state or state loss is a serious offense.

According to Kurnia, to prove what Firli had done, the Dewas had to search for material or evidence and not stop the investigation just at the statement of Firli.

In fact, there were investigators who had been fired and convicted.

Trisakti University criminal law lecturer Abdul Fickar Hadjar said ethics had guarded the moral behavior of KPK commissioners and other personnel in the past. Several KPK officials had been dismissed for ethics violations. In fact, there were investigators who had been fired and convicted.

KOMPAS/PRADIPTA PANDU

Abdul Fickar Hadjar

"The moral integrity of a KPK commissioner is very important in eradicating corruption. It is like a broom should not be dirty. If there is any dirt on it, it must be cleaned,” said Fickar.

According to Fickar, a helicopter ride is not an unusual event. However, it could be a serious problem if the ride was facilitated by a businessman. In that case, it would be an act of gratification that is a criminal act of corruption.

He also reminded the public that Firli had a bad ethics track record, such as by meeting someone who was being questioned by the KPK outside the office, while he served as the KPK deputy for enforcement.

After the ethics hearing, Firli did not make any comment. "I have told you that the Dewas will give a statement. Sorry, I will not provide any details here. I have conveyed everything to the Dewas," said Firli.

KOMPAS/SHARON PATRICIA

Kurnia Ramadhana

Before the ethics hearing, Firli dismissed accusations that he practiced an extravagant lifestyle by renting a helicopter while traveling in South Sumatra at the end of June. Firli argued he used the aircraft at the time because he needed to move fast during his work.

After the hearing, Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society coordinator Boyamin Saiman expressed doubt over Firli\'s reasoning that he traveled on a helicopter because he needed speed while at work. He said there was no urgent matter on the KPK\'s agenda when Firli visited Baturaja, South Sumatra. He had traveled from Palembang to Baturaja, and it only took four hours by car.

Boyamin said during the hearing that he had also conveyed a request that Firli Bahuri be removed from his position as chairman of the KPK and demoted to be deputy chairman of the KPK, especially if Firli was proven by the KPK Supervisory Board to have violated the ethics code. "So, the KPK chairman should be replaced by someone else," he said.

Kompas

Boyamin Saiman

The ethics hearing will continue on Monday (31/8). A member of the Dewas, Syamsudin Haris, revealed that Firli\'s ethics hearing would still be continued, because the Dewas had summoned six witnesses and only two had testified so far.

The chairman of the Dewas, Tumpak H Panggabean, added that the supervisory board had not yet set the date for the final hearing. According to information obtained by Kompas, the verdict hearing will be held some time in September.