'It's a long process until one case concludes with a conviction,' said commission spokesman Johan Budi.

Five KPK commissioners appointed by presidential decree in 2003 will finish their first term on Dec 29, so attention is intensifying in Indonesia on what the body has achieved.

'It's impossible to clean this republic up in such a short time...we cannot eradicate corruption in four years,' KPK chairman Taufiequrrahman Ruki said on Tuesday.

'It's not that we don't want to resolve all corruption cases in Indonesia...it's because we are not able to solve them all.

'If there are still many cases unresolved, it doesn't mean we neglect them. It's more about prioritising the cases.'

The Jakarta Post reported Mr Taufiequrraman as saying that unresolved cases would be left for the next KPK leadership to pursue.

The commission's deputy chairman Tumpak Panggabean said the current team would prioritise its tasks to resolve cases that are still in preliminary investigation stages.

Since 2003, the KPK has begun 148 investigations, 66 of which resulted in the naming of suspects.

According to commission figures, 54 cases were brought to trial, resulting in 39 convictions.

The KPK has the authority to investigate and prosecute cases that were previously the domain of police and prosecutors.

The creation of the KPK was part of the reform movement that swept Indonesia following the downfall of president Suharto.

Ingrained corruption, which makes the nation one of the world's most graft-prone and keeps many foreign investors away, is largely seen as a result of his legacy.

The International Monetary Fund called for the establishment of the body amid criticism that graft was undermining Indonesia's investment climate.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE