KPK Holds Rapim After Corruption Court Judge Frees Gazalba Saleh

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will appeal to the Jakarta High Court (PT) against the decision of the Jakarta Corruption Court Judge to release Supreme Court Justice Gazalba Saleh from the money laundering charges. The decision was taken after a leadership meeting was held.

"We have tidied up this morning with the ranks at the KPK," said KPK Deputy Chair Nurul Ghufron when delivering the results of a meeting at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Tuesday, May 28.

Ghufron said that in the meeting it was agreed that legal action would be taken because the panel of judges hearing the Gazalba case was considered inconsistent. This is because in other cases they have never questioned the letter of the Attorney General's delegation to the Director of Prosecution and the Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the KPK.

"So if at this time the judge concerned said that the prosecutor, the prosecutor from the KPK, is not authorized, then there is inconsistency with the previous decisions he examined and he broke up himself," explained Ghufron.

"Atas itu semua maka KPK menyepaksi akan melakukan upaya hukum akan melakukan pengaduan atau perlawan, kita memilih untuk melakukan upaya hukum apang," tegasnya.

The KPK leadership, continued Ghufron, still believes that the delegation from the Attorney General as questioned by the Corruption Court Judge is not needed. He said Article 6 of the KPK Law actually regulates that the institution has the right to prevent, coordinate, monitor, supervision, investigation, investigation and prosecution.

If the delegation is still needed, it means that the judge seems to have placed the anti-corruption commission in one part with the Attorney General's Office. In fact, this institution has different laws in carrying out its duties.

"Therefore, we state that we do not agree or do not accept at the opinion of the judge who said that a delegation is needed," said Ghufron.

"If there is a delegation then the assumption is that the Prosecutor at the KPK remains under the subordinates of the Attorney General's Office. That is contrary to the independence of the KPK which is regulated in Article 3 of Law Number 19 of 2019," he continued.

As previously reported, the Jakarta Corruption Court ordered the KPK to release Supreme Court Justice Gazalba Saleh in a trial held today, Monday, May 27. This order came after the exception submitted was granted.

"To try, one, grant a note of objection from the legal advisory team of the defendant Gazalba Saleh," said Panel of Judges Fahzal Hendri.

This exception was granted because the judge assessed that the prosecutor at the KPK had not received an appointment from the Attorney General. Thus, the indictment submitted cannot be accepted.

This decision then caused a strong reaction from the Deputy Chairperson of the KPK Alexander Marwata. He even asked the Supreme Court Supervisory Body (Bawas MA) and the Judicial Commission (KY) to examine the panel of judges at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court who tried the case.

The judges handling the case were Fahzal Hendri, Rianto Adam Pontoh, and judge Ad Hoc Sukartono.