KPK, Immigration to establish online travel ban system

Rabby Pramudatama, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia | National | Thu, October 25 2012, 1:43 PM

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has set a cooperation agreement with the Law and Human Rights Directorate for Immigration to establish an internet-based travel banning system to cut the sluggish bureaucratic process.

“There are many graft suspects who flee the country to evade prosecution, therefore the immigration directorate’s role in combating corruption has become much more pivotal,” said KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto in a press conference on Thursday.

He said that the traditional method of ordering a travel ban by sending a letter through a courier has been deemed as the main reason why many graft suspects could outpace law enforcers.

Previously, the anti-graft commission had to deal with infamous graft suspect, former Democratic Party treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin, who with his wife, Neneng Sri Wahyuni, fled the country and entered 15 countries before getting caught in Cartagena, Colombia in 2011.

Aside from Nazaruddin the KPK had also dealt with the 2004 vote-buying scandal case where graft convict, businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti, fled to Singapore.

Immigration director general Bambang Irawan said he would design the system after the KPK and the directorate inks the cooperation agreement.

“Our technical team will soon design the travel ban system right after we set its legal basis [on Thursday]. I figure the design would be simple paperless-based communication.”(iwa)