Priyatna Abdurrasyid
Weathering the Years
IN the early 1950s, he was known as a prosecutor with an unwavering stance against enticements. He also put some of the Old Order ministers in jail. Priyatna Abdurrasyid, 78, was a model law enforcement official and should be emulated today.
Staying energetic in his old age does not mean that Priyatna has never been “broken.” It was early in the New Order era, when he uncompromisingly led the investigation of the corruption case in Pertamina, the “money mine” of the authority cronies. Without hesitation he even targeted Pertamina CEO, Ibnu Sutowo. But this time it was he who was kicked out of the Attorney General’s Office. Priyatna was purged, but he never lost his dignity and personal pride.
When the authority of the Attorney General’s Office is at its lowest point due to various bribery cases and rampant corruption among its officers, Priyatna Aburrasyid’s exemplary courage and cleanliness is worth reassessing. Recently, the man who is now engaged in space law recounted part of his life to Amal Ihsan from Tempo.
September 16, 2008
WHEN I was Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence, I became a member of the Corruption Eradication Team headed by Attorney General Soegih Arto. The members did not only come from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), but also personnel from the military, police, and journalists. One of the big cases we investigated was corruption in Pertamina.
Initially, it was Indonesia Raya daily that published investigative reports for several days on cor
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