Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Presidential Advisory Board has supported the empowerment of the Indonesian anti-graft body (KPK) by backing a plan to increase the number of investigators and forming a desk in the provinces, a board member, Sidarto Danusubroto, said on Monday.

"Compared to Hong Kong, which already has 1.6 thousand investigators, KPK has only has 1.2 thousand employees and 93 auditors who are tasked to oversee around 250 million people," Danusubroto noted.

Therefore, an increase in the number of investigators remains important for KPK, he added at the boards office in Jakarta.

The Boards chairwoman Sri Adiningsih met four KPK chiefs, namely Agus Rahardjo, Basaria Panjaitan, Alexander Marwata, and Saut Sitomrang, to discuss about corruption prevention program, Danusubroto stated.

In todays meeting, Adiningsih was assisted by Danusubroto and other board members, including Suharso Manoharfa and Yusuf Kartanegara.

"Although a representative of the countrys provinces is yet to be established, the KPK could set a special desk to oversee several zones, including the western or eastern region in Indonesia," Danusubroto reiterated.

Meanwhile, Rahardjo hopes the board would continue to support KPK's empowerment effort not only by revising the law but also by strengthening the regulation of corruption prosecution.

"We hope the anti-graft law could be implemented in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption," Agus remarked.

Indonesia has earlier ratified the UNs convention by issuing the Law No.7/2006. However, the countrys legislators are yet to adopt the conventions norms in the national legal system.

"The law should allow the investigators to oversee private sectors, as well as recover the assets and audit an illicit enrichment and a trading influence," Rahardjo pointed out.

The countrys House of Representatives had earlier introduced a bill to revise the KPK law to several universities members. Some experts, however, presume that the bill is aimed to dilute KPK.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017