Launch of online reimbursement/reporting application for legal aid

On Thursday 13 August, the Minister of Law and Human Rights launched a number of IT software applications to support the implementation of Indonesia’s legal aid system. Whereas AIPJ had been working with the Ministry from the very start the system was initiated (end 2011), these specific software applications had also been developed with support of AIPJ.

The main application aims to help legal aid organizations to submit claims for reimbursement for legal aid services delivered by them. The claims are to be justified and accounted for by reports, to be entered into the application and subsequently reviewed and paid by the Ministry.

The application was deemed necessary as in its first years the reimbursement process proved itself to be rather complicated for the users. Legal aid organizations were requested to submit original case files in full, complemented by other supporting documents. This was burdensome for both the legal aid organizations, as well as the Ministry, which had to review all the documents. A number of other requirements and stipulations also led to confusion.

Considering that in these early stages people had to still get familiar with the system anyway, all things combined led to low expenditure in the first years of implementation. In 2013 only 13% of the available budget was expended, which increased to 34% in 2014.

End 2014 the Ministry decided to address the challenges through a number of measures:

• a simplification of the reimbursement process through a revision of regulatory requirements
• the introduction of an on-line claim/reporting and payment system, overhauling a more traditional bureaucratic  payment process

AIPJ has assisted and funded both efforts with the IT application officially launched by the Minister on 13 August. In addition to the IT application for reporting on/payment of legal aid funds (as the main object of cooperation), the Ministry has also developed

• a website consisting of an access to justice map (with AIPJ support)
• an application for the law dissemination/counselling  staff of the Ministry (AIPJ support)
• a ‘legal smart’ application, which further supports the law dissemination function of the Ministry

Since the establishment of the legal aid system AIPJ has been working with BPHN in:

• Drafting implementing regulations for the legal aid law
• Verification and accreditation of legal aid organizations
• Training and socialization/information dissemination to Kanwil and OBHs (in selected provinces)
• Evaluation (in selected provinces)
• Revision of implementing regulations
• Development of software applications for reimbursement/reporting

The access to justice map aims to capture which institutions and law enforcement agencies involved in the court processes and legal aid are located where in each province (with related data and information). This supports the government’s and Bappenas’ efforts to establish an integrated criminal justice system. The law dissemination/counselling applications are included as BPHN, apart from legal aid, also fulfils a law dissemination function.

The launch itself was attended by all Director-Generals of the Ministries and representatives of

• Ministry of National Planning and Development
• Ministry for Empowerment of State Apparatus & Bureaucracy Reform
• Ministry of Finance
• Presidential Secretariat
• Anti-Narcotic Agency (BNN)

In addition, all provincial offices of the Ministry were hooked up and represented through a video conference. This was particularly appropriate as since start 2015 the authority/responsibility to make payments to the legal aid organizations had been delegated from BPHN to the provincial offices. Prior to that the provincial offices were already in charge of making the first assessments of claims but with the authority to also make the payments, most of the system’s implementation will now rely on the Provincial Offices. BPHN will focus on monitoring and implementation.

As for the agenda; the Minister invited someone from BPHN to demonstrate and explain each of the IT applications. That session was followed by one led by Ibu Enny Nurbaningsih, head of BPHN, in which Kanwils could ask questions concerning the new application and implementation of the legal aid system in general.

As BPHN, apart from for legal aid, is also responsible for law dissemination, the Minister also took the opportunity to combined the launch with a law dissemination session for 400 high school students, which revolved around warning them against getting involved with drugs. With the date of the event being right before Indonesia’s Independence Day, the event was conducted in the atmosphere of commemorating Independence.