Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Farouk Arnaz, Rizky Amelia & Rangga Prakoso – Antigraft watchdogs attacked a cabinet minister on Sunday for saying the National Police should be allowed to investigate a bribery case involving the Rp 197 billion ($21 million) procurement of driving simulators despite the suspicion that senior officers played a role in the offense.
Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister of political, legal and security affairs, said that despite widespread conflict of interest allegations, the National Police would be allowed to conduct its own investigation alongside the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which has named two police generals as graft suspects.
"Just focus on the legal due process, not which [institution] has more authority. If so we will forget what the case is all about," he said on Saturday.
The minister, who has authority over the National Police but not the KPK, said the institutions reached an agreement last week to split the case between them, but many questioned the overlapping jurisdiction and legality of the National Police's involvement.
"We will monitor [the case] closely so that they remain transparent and within the legal corridor of existing laws and regulations," Djoko said. "We must all look back on what was agreed. I think the public clearly understand what was reached in the agreement."
The agreement came after the KPK charged the former head of the National Police's traffic division, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, with allegedly receiving Rp 2 billion in bribe money from two companies awarded the lucrative tender. The KPK also charged Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo, the current deputy chief of the traffic division, as well as Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rismawan and Comr. Legimo, who were in charge of the tender process.
Police reportedly prevented the KPK from seizing documents related to the project from the traffic division's office in East Jakarta, a standoff that ended only after an agreement between the two law enforcement bodies was reached.
The National Police Commission (Kompolnas), a state body charged with monitoring the police force, asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to instruct the National Police to drop the case.
"There has been a power struggle and the Kompolnas deemed that this was not good because much energy was being wasted on the conflict [between police and KPK] instead of the actual case," Kompolnas commissioner Edi Hasibuan said. "Kompolnas is advising the president to mediate between both institutions."
Indonesian Judiciary Monitor Society (Mappi) chairman Choky Ramadhan said the police would not investigate the case objectively and would likely try to protect other members of the force. "The president, as the direct superior of the National Police chief, can instruct the police to let the KPK handle the case," he said.
Indonesia Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane suggested the president was reluctant to let the KPK handle the case alone, and might want to use it as a bargaining chip against the antigraft body.
Neta cited a recent KPK investigation into Anas Urbaningrum, chairman of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, and another case said to involve Yudhoyono campaign contributor Hartarti Murdaya. Neither have been charged for their alleged involvement in their respective cases.
"The KPK must be courageous [in defying the president]. With the authority it has, the KPK can investigate the driving simulator case alone," Neta said.
The National Police maintains that it is not taking over the case from the KPK, despite arresting three suspects before the antigraft body had the opportunity to question them. "Our questioning was completed, that is why we arrested them," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anang Iskandar said.
If proven, the allegations would come as a further blow to the police force, which was perceived as one of the country's most corrupt institutions in a recent survey by Transparency International.
National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said the police force was trying to reform itself. "It is hard to prevent corruption [inside the force] because it is about changing the mind-set," he said. "How can it be done if superiors keep asking for [bribes] from their subordinates. This is what I am aiming to change."
On the latest case, the providers of the simulators – Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi president director Budi Susanto and Sukotjo Bambang, the director of the project's subcontractor, Inovasi Teknologi Indonesia – have been drawn into the investigation in recent days.
The allegations broke after Sukotjo – who was serving three and a half years in jail for similar offenses – told investigators that Budi had allegedly paid Djoko Rp 2 billion for the contract to the Rp 197 billion project. Budi reportedly asked Sukotjo to deliver the money to Djoko, who was with the traffic division at the time.