Lawmakers and the Law

Although his role was disguised as 'mediator' House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Setya Novanto need not have summoned Attorney General M. Prasetyo to discuss a legal case. The closed meeting at Senayan between Setya and DPR Deputy Speakers Fadli Zon and Fahri Hamzah, along with two members of the DPR Law Commission to discuss a dispute between two corporations, can be seen as the legislature's interference in the due process of law.

Fadli Zon's reasoning that the closed meeting was only to ensure that no abuse of power took place in the investigation sounds a bit discordant. Why did the DPR get involved, when the Attorney General's Office (AGO) corruption eradication taskforce was already investigating the case, which involves allegations of collusion in the sale of under-valued state assets, resulting in the state losing hundreds of billions of rupiah?

September 29, 2015