The Supervisory Council of the KPK has imposed sanctions on deputy KPK chairwoman Lili Pintauli Siregar for an ethics violation. However, the punishment is considered very lenient.
By
NIKOLAUS HARBOWO/Nobertus Arya Dwiangga Martiar
·5 minutes read
Kompas
The Supervisory Board of the Corruption Eradication Commission, led by the Chairperson of the KPK Council, Tumpak H Panggabean, held an ethics violation trial against KPK Deputy Chair Lili Pintauli Siregar, Monday (30/8/2021), at the KPK Supervisory Board Building, Jakarta.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The ethics violation of the deputy chairwoman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Lili Pintauli Siregar, could hurt the credibility of, and public trust in, the KPK at a time when it is trying to rebuild its image.
Lili was found to have abused her official influence. She was also in direct contact with the parties whose cases are being handled by the KPK.
Based on a periodic survey by Kompas from 2015 to 2021, the image of the KPK in the eyes of the public fluctuates. In April 2021, the KPK\'s image had improved slightly, namely 76.9 percent of respondents approved of the institution, compared to 74.3 percent in January 2021 and 65.8 percent in August 2020. However, this image was still below the January 2015 level of 88.5 percent.
The arrest of a number of officials on graft charges in late 2020 and early 2021 is thought to have begun to restore public confidence in the KPK. The KPK even made arrests from Sunday to Monday (30/8/2021) in Probolinggo, East Java.
In the midst of such work, on Monday (30/8), KPK deputy chairwoman Lili Pintauli received a sanction from the KPK Supervisory Council for an ethics violation. She was found to have abused her influence as a part of the KPK’s leadership for personal interests and was in direct contact with parties whose cases were being handled by the KPK.
The KPK Supervisory Council punished Lili with a 40 percent deduction from her base salary for 12 months. She accepted the punishment and expressed her gratitude when she responded to the verdict.
KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO
Deputy Chairperson of the Corruption Eradication Commission Lili Pintauli Siregar
In its decision, the KPK Supervisory Council said Lili had abused her influence with regard to dealings with the inactive mayor of Tanjung Balai, M Syahrial, and the director of regional drinking water company (PDAM) Tirta Kualo Tanjung Balai, Yudhi Gobel. Through her influence, Lili fought for a service fee for her sister, Ruri Prihatini Lubis, who had served as an acting director of PDAM Tirta Kualo Tanjung Balai. The service fee was then paid by PDAM Tirta Kuala.
The KPK Supervisory Council also stated that in July 2020, Lili contacted Syahrial by telephone and said, "Your name is still available on my desk, shame on you, you still took Rp 200 million." Syahrial replied that it was related to an old case and asked Lili for help.
In September 2019, Syahrial was questioned by the KPK in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption related to the buying and selling of positions in Tanjung Balai. The KPK determined that there was sufficient evidence to raise the case to the level of an investigation.
In October 2020, Syahrial again contacted Lili and asked for help regarding his case on the buying and selling of positions. Lili answered by WhatsApp, suggesting that Syahrial contact a lawyer in Medan named Arief Aceh, and she gave Syahrial his phone number.
"This fact strengthens the confidence of the Council that the communication between the person under scrutiny [Lili] and Syahrial, as a person whose case is being investigated by the KPK, is quite intense. There was also an attempt by the person under scrutiny to help Syahrial resolve the case," said a member of the KPK Supervisory Council, Albertina Ho.
Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro
Mayor of Tanjungbalai M Syahrial wearing prison clothes when taken to a press conference room at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Building, Jakarta, Saturday (4/24/2021).
High standard of integrity
Contacted in Jakarta on Monday, Hibnu Nugroho, a professor at the Jenderal Soedirman University Faculty of Law in Purwokerto, said the KPK Supervisory Council\'s decision to lightly sentence Lili Pintauli would have an impact on the loss of the institution\'s authority. “Law enforcement officers must have high standards of integrity. How come there is a serious ethical violation but the punishment is light, only a salary cut?" said Hibnu.
He said that to prevent the KPK\'s authority from being destroyed, Lili needed to be replaced or asked to resign.
A researcher from the Center for Anticorruption Studies at the Gadjah Mada University Faculty of Law, Zaenur Rohman, said the sanctions against Lili were very low. Moreover, he said, the basic salary of the deputy chairman of the KPK was only Rp 4.6 million, while the total money received per month was Rp 89 million. He expressed worry that the public\'s trust in the KPK would be eroded.
He noted that Lili\'s actions did not only violate the code of ethics but were also related to criminal matters as stipulated in Article 36 of Law No. 30/2002 in conjunction with Law No. 19/2019 on the KPK, which prohibits the leadership of the institution from dealing with litigants. Violation of that provision, regulated in Article 65 of the KPK Law, is punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison.
After the trial, Tumpak H Panggabean, the chairman of the KPK Supervisory Council, said the sanction of cutting the basic salary was sufficient. Therefore, he said, there was no need for the council to dismiss Lili, even though that sanction is provided for in KPK Supervisory Council Regulation No. 2/2020.
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