Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – The National Commission for Human Rights pledged on Tuesday to launch its own investigation into the beating of an anti-corruption activist in early July.
Ifdal Kasim, chairman of the commission, also known as Komnas HAM, said police had been slow in catching the perpetrators behind the attack on Indonesia Corruption Watch researcher Tama Satrya Langkun.
"Police are quick to unravel a terrorism plot but the investigation into the assault had been slow," Ifdal said. "This raises questions about whether police are really serious about catching the perpetrators."
Tama was ambushed on July 8 by four assailants and was hospitalized with multiple injuries.
There has been speculation that the assault was connected to Tama's reporting to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force that a number of police generals had suspiciously large bank balances.
"We will form our own independent investigation team and conduct fresh investigations from the beginning of the case to the day of the beating," Ifdal said.
Komnas HAM member Yosep Adi Prasetyo said the team would also monitor police handling of the case and the attempted firebombing of Tempo magazine's offices in Central Jakarta, which occurred just three days before the attack on Tama.
Two unidentified people threw Molotov cocktails at the office of Tempo, a weekly publication that also reported on the suspicious bank accounts.
"The team will consist of people outside the police force. We don't know exactly who but it will include officials from other institutions like the LPSK [Witness and Victim Protection Agency] and Kompolnas [National Police Commission]," Yosep said.
Darwin Aritonang, a lawyer for Tempo, said earlier that four witnesses – all working for the magazine – claimed to have been intimidated during their questioning at the Central Jakarta Police headquarters that lasted for nearly 24 hours.
The witnesses, Darwin said, had been forced by police to admit the attack was caused by an internal rift at the magazine.
Dadang Trisasongko, an anticorruption expert at the Partnership for Governance Reform and an ICW adviser, said there were indications police had tried to obscure the motive behind the assault on Tama.
"There had been attempts to distort the case by saying that the assault was related to a gambling ring or a jealous girlfriend. None of it is true. The beating is related to Tama's investigation into the suspicious police accounts," Dadang said.
"I feel that the police are half-hearted in investigating and finding the perpetrators behind the attack. Even if they managed to catch the [assailants], a police investigation is not likely to find the mastermind. The same goes with police probes into the accounts."
The National Police announced on Friday that only two of 23 reports it had received from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) linking police officers to shady financial transactions pointed to criminal activity.
The two were identified as Comr. Martin Reno, an officer with the Papua Police who has already been tried in relation to his suspicious account, and embattled Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who is currently detained on graft charges for allegedly taking a Rp 500 million ($55,000) bribe from a suspected case broker.
South Jakarta Police today are scheduled to question Tama again for the third time. On Monday, police again questioned Tama, who said afterward he was only asked about his activities prior to the attack.