"Inviting a Tiger into Your Home": Indonesia Creates an Anti-Corruption Commission with Teeth, 2002 – 2007
changed to bring to the front page. original posting 7/11/2014
Gabriel Kuris drafted this study based on interviews conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia in February and March 2012. For a look at the establishment, structure and first-term leadership of the commission, see the Innovations for Successful Societies companion case study “‘Inviting a Tiger Into Your Home’: Indonesia Creates an Anti-Corruption Commission With Teeth, 2002-2007.” Note: many Indonesians have only one name, while others prefer to be referred to by their first names rather than their surnames. This study follows the naming conventions used by local media and individuals themselves. Case posted September 2012.
Associated Interview(s): Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas
In the early 2000s, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) faced a crisis. Even after adopting a modernized legal framework that made the agency semiautonomous—able to operate much as a business would, though still accountable to a public board—the institution remained paralyzed by corruption, outdated technologies and procedures, and a toxic organizational culture. In 2004, to begin righting the ship, the URA’s board appointed 43-year-old Allen Kagina, who had served the agency for more than a decade, as the new commissioner general. Kagina engineered a radical overhaul that required all 2,000 URA staff members to reapply for new positions under a revamped organizational structure. A new modernization office overhauled tax procedures, upgraded the URA’s technology, improved anticorruption measures, strengthened the tax investigation and prosecution function, and enhanced staff capacity. At the same time, the URA was working to smooth its customs procedures and improve cooperation with partner countries in the East African Community.
Leon Schreiber drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Kampala, Uganda, in January and February 2019. Case published April 2019.
To view a short version of the case, please click here
See related Uganda Revenue Authority Case Study: Bolstering Revenue, Building Fairness: Uganda Extends its Tax Reach, 2014-2018
From 2000 to 2009, Peru’s justice system successfully prosecuted former president Alberto Fujimori and other high-level public officials for acts of corruption committed during the previous decade. But the country’s judicial institutions struggled to curb newer corruption networks that were operating with impunity throughout the country. Because the networks had penetrated the justice system itself, it was increasingly difficult to prosecute—let alone convict—people who had participated in briberies, kickbacks, or other schemes. In the 2011 presidential election, Ollanta Humala, whose slogan was “Honesty Makes a Difference,” captured 51% of the vote and gave a boost to reformers within the country’s legal institutions. Humala joined the Open Government Partnership, strengthened Peru’s anticorruption commission, and brought together top leaders from the country’s judicial and legal institutions to improve the government’s response to corruption. In 2012, the comptroller general, the public prosecutor (attorney general), and the president of the judiciary created a new subsystem to bring to trial those officials accused of corruption. They created a new prosecutorial team and designated a specialized chamber to hear the most-complex corruption cases. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights strengthened its capacity to investigate and bring to trial cases involving the misuse of public resources. By 2015, several cases were in preparation, nearing trial. The fight against corruption in Peru continued to face many obstacles, however, including the perception that anticorruption efforts had lost top-level support.
Blair Cameron drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Lima in August 2015. Case published December 2015.
At the time of this interview, Rose Seretse was director of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), a position to which she was appointed in 2009. Seretse served as the deputy director of the DCEC from 2007 to 2009. Prior to joining the DCEC in 1997, Seretse worked in the public service in various capacities. Seretse received her masters in public administration from the University of Botswana. She also holds a bachelors of science in construction engineering and management from Ferris State University in the United States.
Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas served as a commissioner on Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) from 2003-2007. He was President Commissioner of BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia, Indonesian State Bank), while also serving on other national and private sector commissions and as Chairman of the Advisory Board/Founding Committee of the University of Indonesia Center for the Study of Governance in cooperation with Hills Governance Center, CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) Washington. Before his time on the KPK, Hardjapamekas had an extensive career in state-owned enterprises. He held a number of positions just prior to joining the KPK: chief commissioner to PT Agrakom (January 2000-December 2003), commissioner and committee chair of auditing PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol (March 2001-December 2003), advisor and member of the audit committee for PT Unilever Indonesia (2001-2003), advisor to the commissioner (from 2001) and independent commissioner for PT Semen Cibinong (April 2002-December 2003), auditing committee member (January 2002-December 2003) and independent commissioner to PT Kabelindo Murni (June 2002-December 2003), head of the auditing committee and independent commissioner to PT Hero Supermarket (September 2002-December 2003) and independent commissioner to PT Kaltim Prima Coal (March-October 2003). He had previously served as the finance director and executive director and of PT Timah (a state-owned tin mining company), the director of PT Tamban Batubara Bukit Asam (a state-owned coal mining company), and the head of accountancy for Perum Perumnas (a state-owned housing company). In addition, Erry also held the position of commissioner (1996-1998) and chief commissioner for the Jakarta Stock Exchange (1998-2001). He holds a Bachelor’s of Economics from Padjadjaran University, Bandung.
Eager to demonstrate progress against corruption in order to advance its standing in the accession processes for NATO and the European Union, Latvia established the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, known as KNAB, in 2002. Through its investigations into high-level graft and campaign finance violations, the new agency rapidly established a reputation for effectiveness. When a prime minister tried to dismiss KNAB's popular director on a flimsy pretext, citizens rallied in support of the agency, leading to the prime minister's resignation. Despite an internal scandal and leadership conflicts that undercut its credibility, KNAB launched over a hundred investigations, targeting suspects that included three of Latvia's powerful oligarchs. KNAB's work helped drive a wave of reform that reduced opportunities for high-level corruption in government, changing the laws covering asset disclosure, parliamentary immunity, legislative transparency, judicial procedures, and the financing of political campaigns.