[Kabar-indonesia] APEC Agrees To Curb Safe Havens for Corruptors

[Joyo3]

APEC Ministers Agree To Curb Corruption Safe Havens

HANOI, Nov. 16 (AP)--Ministers from 21 Pacific Rim economies
agreed Thursday to consider developing national legislation
to deny safe haven to corrupt individuals as part of efforts
to curb the scourge.

In a joint statement after two days of meetings, trade and
foreign ministers at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum said corruption was a threat to regional
stability and undermined economic performance by creating
barriers to trade and investment.

"Ministers underscored their commitment to prosecute acts of
corruption, especially high-level corruption by holders of
public office and those who corrupt them," the statement
said. "Ministers agreed to consider developing domestic
actions...to deny safe haven to corrupt individuals and
those who corrupt them."

They will explore "implementing effective controls" to deny
corrupt officials from gaining access to their ill-gotten
wealth in the international financial system, it said.

They urged APEC members who haven't ratified the U.N.
Convention Against Corruption to do so, and stressed the
importance of adopting preventive measures and market
integrity systems to ensure transparency and to boost the
grouping's anti-corruption war.

The ministerial meeting comes ahead of an APEC leaders'
summit this weekend.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda said
there was a need to form an "APEC corruption-free zone"
through intensified cooperation among members as national
campaigns alone were inadequate.

He said many corrupt suspects had fled Indonesia and sought
safe haven in other countries.

"There is a need for deeper cooperation in the region on the
issue of mutual legal assistance, extradition of corrupt
individuals, and the tracing and recovery of assets. It is
important for us to track corrupt individuals and bring them
back to Indonesia to face the law," he told reporters.

Indonesia ranks 30th from the bottom out of a total of 163
countries surveyed in Transparency International's 2006
Corruption Perceptions Index.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won elections
in 2004 after vowing to crack down on corruption, which is
endemic at all levels. His campaign has netted several high-
profile suspects, but most analysts say it has so far been
only a partial success.

Efforts to track corruption suspects and their ill-gotten
gains have been hobbled by a lack of regional cooperation,
particularly with Singapore, officials say.
Hassan said Indonesia was working closely with Singapore to
forge an extradition treaty but couldn't say when it could
be concluded.

Indonesia and Singapore were supposed to sign an extradition
treaty in December 2005 but it fell through after Singapore
asked that it be signed in tandem with a security pact.

Singapore has hinted in the past that it would want
security-related offenses - including suspected terrorists -
to be included in any extradition pact with Indonesia.

Indonesia has long said an extradition treaty was necessary
to bring to justice corrupt businessmen and politicians who
allegedly took advantage of Singapore's strict bank secrecy
laws to stash away billions of dollars during the 1997-98
Asian financial crisis.

APEC comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South
Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.S. and Vietnam.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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