UNDP'S ONLINE COURSE ON ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENCIES

Good practices and lessons learned

Challenges for ACAs
Complementary Case Study
Mending fractures that give spoilers a foothold (KNAB and KPK)

Innovations for Successful Societies (ISS) studied ACAs that drew upon varied sources of power and influence, including political parties, media and co-opted state officials. To compete, the agencies needed auxiliary resources and levers of influence, provided by allies among the general public, the government, the media and civil society and the international community. ACAs that invested time, attention and resources into those partnerships found themselves with staunch support when they needed it most. The defensive strategy of Indonesia’s KPK shows how alliances help overcome backlash.

When lawmakers tried to curtail the commission’s powers and police sought to arrest its commissioners, citizens held mass protests, foreign diplomats lobbied the government behind the scenes, and the courts sided with the KPK. Ultimately, the president supported the commission; police officials dropped charges and admitted their fabrication of evidence; and parliament backed off. Likewise, when Latvia’s legislature attempted to interfere with KNAB investigations of political corruption, citizens and independent media sources rallied to KNAB’s defense. The president dissolved parliament, and new elections brought a reformist coalition to power.