The Constitutional Court (MK) has rejected the lawsuit on judicial review of Article 29(e) of Law No. 19/2019 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which pertains to the age requirement for KPK leadership candidates.
The petition was filed by former KPK investigator Novel Baswedan and 11 of his colleagues.
In its ruling on Thursday, September 12, 2024, the Court rejected the petition in its entirety.
Novel Baswedan had requested the addition of a clause allowing experienced KPK staff to be eligible to apply as leadership candidates, even if they had not yet reached the minimum age of 50.
Novel argued that the age restriction of 50 years limits opportunities for well-qualified candidates who have not yet reached this age.
However, the MK ruled that reforms to the anti-corruption agency can be made through the selection process of leaders with integrity and competence without needing to change the age requirement.
The court also emphasized that determining age limits is within the authority of lawmakers and is not directly related to the current issues facing the KPK.
While there was a dissenting opinion from Judge Arsul Sani, who supported part of the petition, the majority of the MK judges rejected it.
Novel Baswedan accepted the MK’s decision, noting that the court had taken into account important considerations regarding the limitations on frequently changing public office age requirements.
