The arrest on Wednesday of Ber-naldi Kadir Djemat, who reported TV-actor-turned-politician Zumi Zola to the police on Jan. 24 for allegedly having an affair with his wife, has brought allegations that backdoor dealings with the police may have been involved.

"We will report the chiefs of South Jakarta Police and the city police to the National Police for abuse of power," Bernaldi's lawyer, Humphrey Djemat, told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Wednesday evening.

Bernaldi was arrested by the South Jakarta Police on Wednesday, after being named a suspect on Tuesday. "He has been charged under the Criminal Code for assault," South Jakarta Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Aswin Sipayung said.

Sr. Comr. Imam Sugianto currently serves as the South Jakarta Police chief, while Insp. Gen. Untung S. Rajab heads the city police. "We believe that both officers are involved in backdoor dealings with those on Zumi's side that led to Bernaldi's arrest," he said.

Bernaldi was arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother-in-law's secretary, identified as Rudi, back in October last year.

Bernaldi reportedly wanted to see his son, who was staying with his wife, but was denied entrance to her house. He got into a scuffle with Rudi, who then reported him to the police. However, according to Humphrey, Bernaldi and his mother-in-law had settled the conflict amicably.

"Why is it, then, that the police arrested Bernaldi for a case that has been settled merely weeks after he reported Zumi to the police? There's got to be something fishy here," Humphrey said.

Zumi currently serves as the regent of Tanjung Jabung Timur in Jambi while his father, Zulkifli Nurdin, is a former Jambi governor. According to Humphrey, they had strong evidence that Zulkifli had set up a meeting on Monday with Untung.

"We don't know what happened during the meeting, but when we met with Untung later, he told us to drop the case and seek a peaceful solution with Zumi," he said. "After declining the offer, Bernaldi was named a suspect and arrested."

Indonesia Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane said that the case could tarnish the image of the National Police. "The case clearly shows that the police take sides and are unprofessional. They should have mediated both parties, instead of doing things that will muddy the waters," he said. (mim)