INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Key Anti-Corruption Official Facing Sao

Published: Thu 11 Dec 2008 11:40 AM
VZCZCXRO3650
OO RUEHBC RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDT RUEHGI RUEHHM RUEHJS
RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHJA #2234 3461140
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111140Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0928
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 1502
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1487
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0910
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2506
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1134
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2837
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 3328
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS JAKARTA 002234
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, CA/FO, CA/VO/L/C (LAURA
STEIN)
NSC FOR E.PHU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CVIS KISL ID
SUBJECT: KEY ANTI-CORRUPTION OFFICIAL FACING SAO
DIFFICULTIES
REF: A. JAKARTA 2087
B. JAKARTA 2048
1. (U) SUMMARY: Mission requires the Department's urgent
assistance in securing Security Advisory Opinion (SAO)
clearance for two GOI officials who hope to travel to
Washington for anti-corruption consultations with the FBI and
other USG officials. These officials were specifically
invited by the FBI for these meetings. Facilitating this
travel is a United States priority. As reftels have
outlined, this is one of a series of difficulties we have had
with the SAO process for key Indonesian officials. END
SUMMARY.
2. (U) Mission requests the Department's urgent assistance
in securing interagency SAO clearance for two Indonesian
officials to travel to Washington on December 13 for meetings
with FBI Director Mueller at FBI Headquarters and with
Attorney General Mukasey. These officials are part of a
delegation whom FBI Deputy Director Pistole met during his
recent visit to Indonesia and specifically invited to
Washington for this purpose. The head of the delegation, who
is an important partner in the War on Terrorism, fighting
corruption and transnational crime, has threatened to cancel
the entire trip if these two individuals cannot travel. Both
are senior officials well known to the Mission. Hamzah is
the Chief of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Commission's
(KPK) Investigative Unit and therefore must be included on
the trip.
3. (U) Consular Acting Chief Paul Howard sent particulars of
the two individuals by email in an expedite request to Laura
Stein in CA/VO. Their names are Chandra Hamzah,
Commissioner, and Budi Ibrahim, Director.
4. (U) Fighting corruption in Indonesia and building
cooperative links between GOI law enforcement officials and
their USG counterparts is a key USG priority here. The
difficulties Hamzah and Ibrahim are having with the SAO
process threaten progress on this important objective. This
is not the first time the SAO process has created
difficulties for senior GOI officials, as noted in reftel.
Mission requests that the Department work urgently to address
this problem.
HUME
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