In a press conference to commemorate the International Corruption Day on December 9, South East Asian Parliamentarians against Corruption (SEAPAC) calls on global community to bring perpetrators of grand corruption into justice and to categorize such crime as a crime against humanity. This can be done by sending a strong message through online petition prepared by GOPAC.

“There is an international jurisdiction when grand corruption perceived as a crime against corruption. The Rome Statute may have such jurisdiction, if it is agreed by the international community,” emphasizes Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives , Fadli Zon.

Joining the campaign with GOPAC, SEAPAC is expecting that the public can support the notion, emphasizing that such idea can only have its effect when the international community continuously promote the campaign. Currently, GOPAC has designed a micro-site to support the campaign which can be accessed in http://gopacnetwork.org/preventprosecuteparalyze/. This micro-site will be launched today, at 9 December, in conjunction to the annual observance of the International Anti-Corruption Day. “We labelled this campaign with the hashtag #PreventProsecuteParalyze. SEAPAC expects that the society will send the petition, and give a strong message to the international community that grand corruption deserves all what it takes to be considered as a crime against humanity,” brief Fadli. 

A similar point of view was also delivered by the Chairperson of House Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, quoting a GOPAC’s research on the devastating impact of the 2002-2011’s illicit financial flow to the humanity. Some forms of corruption are so grave that their impact to human life and human rights should be considered as crimes against humanity. “Can you imagine when $ 212 billion of illicit financial flow in Libya be used for the interest of the public?” she says

Nurhayati extends her hope that the public is encouraged to send the grand corruption petition to GOPAC. The petition is globally acknowledged, and can strengthening the campaign message to all relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations.

SEAPAC will also have its great deal to that campaign. According to Fadli Zon, there will be 600 million of ASEAN citizens which have a great expectation to strengthening to global anti-corruption regime. To bring international jurisdiction for grand corruption is a new deal that requires a strong political will in all level, including regional and international level. “GOPAC also identifies some strategies that can support the idea, including by endowing national courts with universal jurisdiction,” adding that such strategies needs to be further explored. 

Crimes against humanity, according to its definition in Article 7 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack: murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution and any other sexual violence, enforced disappearance of persons, the crime of apartheid,  other inhumane acts of similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health. “Of course there will be challenge in its relation to the ICC. Yet, GOPAC will not only working to connect grand corruption to the provision of the ICC Statute. We can for example, strengthening political will to foster a new international mechanism dealing with grand corruption,” said Fadli.

Prosecuting perpetrators of grand corruption was mandated as a key issue for GOPAC during the fifth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption in January 2013. The issue was further explored in a discussion paper released by GOPAC in mid-November 2013 and again at the Forum of Parliamentarians, an event parallel to the Fifth Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption at the end of November 2013. A Plan of Action was released in 2014.

GOPAC is a worldwide alliance of parliamentarians working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law. Based in Ottawa, Canada, GOPAC has 51 national chapterson 5 continents. GOPAC supports its members’ efforts through original research, global anti-corruption capacity building, and international peer support. For more information about GOPAC, please visit gopacnetwork.org, or its social media on Twitter at twitter.com/GOPAC_Eng, and on Facebook at facebook.com/gopacnetwork. For SEAPAC Twitter please join  @SEAPACIndonesia (BKSAP).