Legal Expert: The Mechanism For Substitution Of The Chairperson Of The KPK Is Internal, No Need To Go To The DPR Again

KPK chairman Firli Bahuri covered his face hiding from the pursuit of the media crew after being questioned by the Polda Metro Jaya in the alleged extortion case of SYL, Thursday, November 16. (Ist)

JAKARTA - Constitutional Law expert Yudi Anton Rikmadani, said that the mechanism for changing the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) does not need to be submitted to the DPR again. According to him, the existing KPK leadership only needs to prepare to be recommended as chairman by the president.

This was conveyed by Yudi in response to who was entitled to become chairman of the KPK after the appointment of KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri as a suspect in the extortion case against former agricultural minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo by Polda Metro Jaya.

"The internal mechanism of the KPK itself, there is no need to go back to the DPR. All of them have been chosen by the DPR, (commissioner, red) the KPK. It is just a matter of preparing again who will be elected on the advice of the President," said Yudi when contacted by VOI, Thursday, November 23.

The mechanism for changing the chairman of the KPK is said to be different from changing the leadership of the KPK to fill the vacant position left either because they resigned, were fired or died. If a replacement KPK leader is elected based on a name that is not elected by the DPR, the replacement of the chairman of the KPK is said to be only determined from the names of existing leaders.

However, until now, Commission III of the DPR which conducted the fit and proper test of the KPK Capim has not yet known how the mechanism applies to replace Firli Bahuri. It is known that the remaining KPK leaders are Alexander Marwata, Johanis Tanak, Nawawi Pomolango, and Nurul Ghufron.

According to Yudi, the change of chairman of the KPK only remains to take internal votes from the KPK of the four names.

"There are still several members, so it's just a matter of a few members to choose the chairman back. The re-voting is to choose who the chairman of the KPK replaces Firli, right," said Yudi.

Meanwhile, regarding Firli's issue of the suspect, Yudi said, the KPK Supervisory Board (Dewas) must immediately determine its position. Is the sanction of dismissal if Firli does not resign within 1x24 hours.

"This is immediately, because the determination (of the suspect, ed) is no longer a matter of time. This must be replaced by 1x24 hours immediately," he said.

"It's the same, the Constitutional Court can be so fast after the Constitutional Court's decision, especially since this is a suspect," added Yudi.

Yudi assessed that Firli Bahuri should have resigned after being named a suspect in the extortion case of the former Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL).

"If it is a suspect, Firli should resign. This is ethically moral," he concluded.