Rizky Amelia & Farouk Arnaz – The Corruption Eradication Commission no longer wants help from the National Police to investigate major graft cases and has decided to recruit independent investigators to replace the 20 police investigators that the police withdrew.

The independent investigators that the anti-graft agency known as KPK is preparing have received training from Australia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States.

"The KPK is in the process of recruiting independent investigators," chairman Abraham Samad said on Thursday. "We are recruiting personnel from within the KPK. "[They] were once trained in Australia and by the FBI," Abraham said, adding that the agency will send them again for more training.

The KPK needs about 80 independent investigators to help it solve major graft cases that often involve politicians and regional government officials. "But for the initial phase we have prepared around 30 people," Abraham said.

The chairman is confident that the KPK will not be criticized for its plan to recruit independent investigators from within. "It's allowed," he said. "There's no legal obstacle. Education and training will be conducted at the Supreme Court. There's no problem in terms of the law."

The National Police said it withdrew its investigators because the terms of the investigators were expiring. However, graft activists have accused the police of withdrawing its investigators as a way of exacting revenge against the anti-graft agency's probe into a procurement scandal involving several police generals.

They claim the police were worried that the investigation into the procurement case, which involved driving simulators, would net more generals in addition to the two already named by the anti-graft agency.

The police sent 14 new investigators, including 10 generals, to replace the 20 investigators, but the KPK rejected them. "Fourteen senior National Police officers were sent to the KPK, but none of them passed the test. Ask the KPK why," said National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna.

The KPK said the investigators failed the selection process because the agency adopts a certain standard which is used to fill the structural posts in the unit.

"If that's the reason, than how come those who didn't take part in the assessment process passed? Why not just return all investigators from the National Police if they are not going to be used," Nanan said, referring to Warih Sardono, a prosecutor from the Attorney General's Office, who was recently appointed as KPK's investigation director and prosecution deputy.