REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo has said that he would continue to give support to anti-graft agency KPK to prevent it from being undermined.
"I reiterated that I would never let KPK being undermined. So, let us together safeguard KPK," he said after dedicating toll road projects in Mojokerto, East Java, on Sunday.
He said KPK as an institution that has been given a mandate to eradicate corruption must continue to be strengthened.
He said KPK is independent and had an authority to investigate any state official.
"As an institution trusted or even very trusted by the public must continue to be strengthened. We must strengthen it to accelerate corruption eradication," he said according to a press statement from deputy for protocol, press and media of the presidential secretariat Bey Machmudin.
President Jokowi said corruption is an extraordinary crime that must be eradicated.
"I need to remind all that corruption is an extraordinary crime and so we must fight it. Corruption must be fought," he said.
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KPK has received a challenge from the House of Representatived following the revelation of some legislators being implicated in a big corruption case relating to an electronic ID card project known locally as E-KTP project.
The House of Representatives has set up aninquiry committee to find mistakes made by KPK. It has recently submitted recommendations made after making inquiries so far.
One of the legislators has also called for returning KPK's authority to the police and the prosecutor's office.
The legislator - Henry Yosodiningrst - said the committee must be able to convince the public and the government that its findings were proof about the need to correct the situation.
He said anyone who heard and knew about the facts would certainly accept the committee's recommendations including returning the authority of the KPK that was previously held by the police and the prosecutor's office.
"KPK has so far carried out investigation authority held by the police as well as prosecution authority held by the prosecutor's office.
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