VZCZCXRO3375
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0687/01 0950929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040929Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8567
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2268
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0905
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1712
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1756
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2492
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2550
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0684
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000687 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INL FOR BOULDIN/BUHLER 
DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE 
DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, CCIPS FOR MERRIAM, AFML FOR SAMUEL 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER KJUS ID
SUBJECT: USG-SUPPORTED TASK FORCE PIONEERS NEW LAW 
ENFORCEMENT MODEL 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 244 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 228 
     ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 3312 
     ¶D. 07 JAKARTA 2797 
     ¶E. 07 JAKARTA 2101 
 
JAKARTA 00000687  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This cable is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (U) SUMMARY:  A year and a half after its founding, the 
USG-supported Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism and 
Transnational Crime has evolved into a highly effective tool 
for prosecuting terrorists and other criminals.  In the 
process, it has pioneered a new model for Indonesian law 
enforcement based on specialization by case type, 
inter-agency coordination and professionally-based 
advancement.  Work still needs to be done to make the Task 
Force a permanent arm of the AGO, to clarify the position of 
its members, and to appoint a new Chief.  END SUMMARY. 
 
AN ELITE GROUP 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Since its establishment in July 2006, the AGO Task 
Force on Terrorism and Transnational Crime has evolved into 
one of the GOI's premier law enforcement bodies.  Originally 
conceived in a September 2005 Letter Of Agreement (LOA) 
between the AGO and Mission, the Task Force created an elite 
team of prosecutors who would specialize in cases involving 
terrorism, money laundering, trafficking in persons (TIP) and 
cyber crime.  USG assistance--in the form of a $750,000 FY05 
ESF grant-- provided the Task Force with renovated office 
space, computers and other equipment, and specialized 
training.  The LOA was amended in 2007 to extend the length 
of the agreement, commit additional funds from INL and S/CT, 
and add Intellectual Property Rights to the Task Force's 
mandate (ref D).  USG assistance is overseen jointly by 
Mission's DOJ/OPDAT representative and the Political Section. 
 
A RECORD OF SUCCESS 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In a recent meeting, Task Force members reviewed 
the group's progress over the first year and a half of 
operation.  The Task Force's 22 prosecutors have already 
prosecuted more than 40 terrorists, winning convictions in 
every case (ref B, C, and E).  They have also successfully 
handled 34 TIP and two money laundering cases.  Their success 
has been noted by observers both within and outside 
Indonesia.  The AGO is considering, again with USG support, 
the creation of a second task force designed along the same 
lines and devoted to handling corruption cases.  Moreover, 
Task Force member Yusfidli Adyaksana told us that the UN 
Office on Drugs and Crime has asked the Task Force to produce 
a "Best Practices" pamphlet for distribution to similar 
groups in other countries. 
 
PIONEERING A NEW WAY 
 
¶5.  (U) Task Force members attribute their success in part to 
the fact that they are pioneering what for Indonesia is a new 
model for law enforcement.  The new model contains three main 
elements:  specialization by case type; coordination with 
police at the investigation stage; and providing 
professionally-based advancement. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Task Force's focus on particular types of cases 
is almost unique at the AGO, where the vast majority of 
prosecutors are expected to handle virtually every type of 
criminal case. As a result, most prosecutors do not develop 
crime-specific expertise.  In addition, donors who want to 
provide specific training are forced to take a shotgun 
approach.  The Task Force's narrow focus avoids both these 
problems.  The result is a team which consists of specialists 
in each type of case, but in particular on terrorism and TIP, 
which is where most of the cases have focused until now. 
 
JAKARTA 00000687  002 OF 002 
 
 
After the 2007 ALOA was signed, Mission began a concerted 
effort to provide IPR training to members of the Task Force 
in order to create a similar cadre of IPR specialists.  The 
Task Force also generates quarterly reports listing the cases 
it handles by type of crime, another practice which is not 
standard at the AGO. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Task Force is also pioneering a new model of 
police/prosecutor coordination.  Under the current Indonesian 
Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), there is a strict separation 
of roles between police, who handle investigations, and 
prosecutors, who handle prosecutions. (Note: A new draft CPC 
would, if enacted as written, alter this relationship 
considerably - see ref A.)  The Task Force has operated 
differently from the beginning.  Task Force members told us 
that they work very closely with Indonesian National Police 
officers on cases.  This includes getting access to suspects 
early in the investigation and providing input to the 
investigation dossier prior to its completion.  In addition, 
in contrast to common Indonesian practice, police officials 
remain involved in the case after the trial begins, making 
sure that witnesses are brought to court--from other 
provinces if necessary--and ensuring that sensitive types of 
evidence, including explosives and intelligence reports, are 
available to prosecutors during the trial. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) A final element in the Task Force model is 
professional-based advancement.  The AGO is a highly 
bureaucratic organization in which hierarchy is respected and 
promotions are more a matter of seniority than performance. 
Moreover, prosecutors are notoriously underpaid, leading some 
to resort to unethical means to supplement their incomes. 
The Task Force, however, is seen as an exception: the 
prosecutors assigned to it are generally highly regarded by 
their peers, and participation on it is seen as career 
enhancing by other prosecutors.  A number of mid-level 
prosecutors have been promoted since their appointment to the 
Task Force.  In addition, the access to USG-funded 
training--and in particular, travel to the US--is seen as 
highly prestigious, according to Embassy contacts. 
 
STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS 
 
¶9.  (SBU) While the Task Force has been a major success 
story, more needs to be done.  The Task Force is currently an 
ad-hoc group outside the AGO's permanent structure.  As a 
result, the prosecutors assigned to it are on loan from other 
sections, and are often forced to divide their time between 
their two offices.  It is vital that the Task Force be made 
into a standing body at the AGO.  Deputy AG for General 
Crimes Abdul Hakim Ritonga told poloff in 2007 that the AGO 
had requested that the Task Force be transformed into a 
permanent Directorate.  However, the plan remains in limbo at 
the State Secretary's office. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The status of the Task Force's Chief is another 
issue facing the group.  The original head, Thomson Siagian, 
was promoted in January and transferred outside of Jakarta. 
The AG recently named an acting Chief, Joko Subagyo. 
Subagyo, like Siagian, is respected by his peers but is not 
highly experienced in the types of cases handled by the Task 
Force.  At a recent meeting with DOJ and poloff, Subagyo 
expressed interest in continuing to work closely with the 
Embassy.  However, new initiatives--such as broadening 
training on IPR crimes--are likely to move slowly until a new 
permanent Chief is named. 
HUME