UII Academics: Change Of Status Of KPK Employees Disturbs Independence

YOGYAKARTA - A number of academics at the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) are worried that the transfer of the status of an employee of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to the state civil apparatus (ASN) will interfere with the independence of the institution in dealing with corruption.

"We are worried that the independence of the investigators (KPK) will be disturbed because administratively he is under a certain institution related to Kemenpan RB," said UII academic representative Eko Riyadi during a press conference at the UII Campus, Yogyakarta, Wednesday, May 5.

Previously, the KPK had received the results of a national insight test of the status transfer of KPK employees to ASN from the State Civil Service Agency (BKN). The national insight test is part of the process of changing the status of KPK employees to ASN or PNS.

According to Eko, so far many KPK employees or independent investigators are known to have extraordinary integrity because they do not have structural relationships with other institutions.

With this position, he said, the anti-graft agency investigators are very independent in investigating a corruption case.

"When asked to change their status to ASN, they are subordinate to certain ministries and administratively, the hierarchical structure will apply to them," said Eko who is also the Director of the UII Center for Law and Human Rights Studies (Pusham).

Previously, a member of the Supervisory Board (Dewas) of the KPK, Indriyanto Seno Aji, emphasized that the transfer of duties of KPK employees to ASN was not related to institutional weakening.

Indriyanto reasoned that this was because the Corruption Eradication Commission Law already confirmed the position of the independence of the institution in carrying out the duties of enforcing the law in force.

"Even with the new Corruption Eradication Commission Law, the KPK remains independent in its main tasks, including OTT towards high-ranking officials/ministers," he said.