Rizky Amelia, Farouk Arnaz & Ezra Sihite – Sidestepping questions about the nature of an allegedly inappropriate "close personal relationship" with a police officer, controversial legislator Angelina Sondakh would only say on Tuesday that she had "lots of friends."
"I have lots of friends. Businessmen, politicians, meatball soup sellers, newspaper sellers, as well as policemen," said the former Miss Indonesia, who has been implicated in a major corruption scandal rocking the ruling Democratic Party.
The Corruption Eradication Commission on Monday said the police officer romantically linked to Angelina had been removed from the agency investigating the lawmaker for corruption.
The police officer, who has not been identified, had been assigned to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as an investigator. But on Monday, KPK officials said they had removed the officer from his position.
"The KPK chiefs have decided to avoid any conflicts of interest by returning the officer to National Police headquarters," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said.
While the KPK saw an obvious conflict of interest, the National Police claimed that a relationship with someone under investigation was a "natural" occurrence.
"The KPK might see the relationship as a problem," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said on Monday. "But for us, it is natural."
Ex-beauty queen Angelina, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party, is in the spotlight for her alleged involvement in bribery surrounding the construction of the athletes' village for the Southeast Asian Games in Palembang.
It is the same case that former Democratic treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin is currently on trial for at the Anti-Corruption Court in Jakarta.
The KPK is still looking into the relationship between the lawmaker and the officer, but it was described by outgoing KPK chairman Busyro Muqoddas as a "personal, close relationship." Johan said the KPK learned of the relationship two months ago. He said the investigator was not involved in the investigation into the SEA Games case.
Whatever the outcome of the investigation at the KPK, the officer should have no trouble getting his old job back. "We're waiting for a letter from the KPK," Saud said. "If there is no problem, we will accept him back."