Jakarta – The National Police appear to have once again obstructed the investigation into the vehicle simulators graft case when a number of officers declined to answer summonses from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Thursday that four officers, who were expected to testify for Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, the main suspect in the multibillion rupiah graft case, failed to show up for questioning.
"The police told us that the officers didn't show up because we'd written their names and ranks incorrectly," Johan told reporters. Johan said that the KPK had sent the summonses on Aug. 15 but only received a response on Tuesday, a day before the questioning was due to take place.
National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said that the four officers refused to meet the summons because of administrative errors. "According to information that I got from chief of the National Police Traffic Corps [Korlantas], their names were misspelled," he told reporters in Bandung, West Java.
The KPK had summonsed four officers, Adj. Comr. Wisnu Budhhaya, Adj. Comr. Wandi Rustiwan, Comr. Endah Purwaningsih and Comr. Ni Nyoman Sumartini.
A statement from the National Police said that the correct names and ranks were Adj. Comr. Wisnu Budhhaya, Adj. Sr. Comr. Wandy Rustiwan, Adj. Sr. Comr. Endah Purwaningsih and Comr. Ni Nyoman Suartini. Timur, however, said that the police would continue collaborating with the KPK in the investigation of the case.
Earlier in the investigation, police officers had refused to allow KPK investigators who raided the Korlantas headquarters in South Jakarta to leave the building and later the police launched their own probe into the graft case.
The National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim) has named four officers, including Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a former Korlantas chief who had also been named suspect by the KPK, and three others – National Police Traffic Corps deputy chief Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo, Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rusmawan, the head of the procurement project and Traffic Corps treasurer Comr. Legimo, for their alleged roles in the scandal involving the of procurement of vehicle simulators worth Rp 198.7 billion (US$21.06 million) by Korlantas.
KPK chairman Abraham Samad said that he was confident that the police officers would eventually answer the summons. "They are law enforcers, so I am sure they will abide by the law," he said.
Abraham said the KPK and the police had come close to a new consensus in the handling of the case. "I sense that they're starting to understand and want to fully support the KPK. They have just not been open about it," he said.
It has emerged that on Thursday, another police officer, Adj. Sr. Comr. Heru Trisasono, who was scheduled to testify for suspect Djoko, also failed to show up.
Emerson Yuntho of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said the no-shows demonstrated that the police were once again stonewalling the probe.
"Misspelled names and ranks are trivial. If the police really want to help, their officers would come to the KPK and fix them," he said. Emerson said that the police would exploit any legal loopholes to win their fight against the KPK. "Now the KPK's position is difficult because it faces the law enforcement agency itself," he said. (cor)