Jakarta – Police officers tried to enter the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) late on Friday in an attempt to arrest an investigator of the antigraft body, heightening tensions between the two bodies triggered by an investigation into a corruption case linked to a senior police officer.
Dozens of policemen, including from Internal Affairs, were seen outside the KPK building on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, South Jakarta at 10 p.m.
As soon as the news broke across social media websites, activists, journalists, prominent figures – including Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana and Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan – and ordinary civilians immediately flocked to the headquarters building to show their support for the antigraft commission. They spontaneously joined hands to make a barrier encircling the KPK building.
"Save KPK" quickly became one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter.
Several police officers were seen trying to forcibly enter the KPK building despite the reluctance by the KPK's security officers to permit them to do so. The police said they were attempting to arrest one of the commission's investigators, identified as Novel Baswedan.
Novel has been involved in several high-profile investigations at the KPK including the alleged corruption case surrounding the procurement of driving simulators, which implicated former National Police Traffic Corps. chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo who was subsequently named a suspect. Djoko was questioned by the KPK earlier on Friday after previously failing to answer the commission's first summons.
Tempo.co reported that Novel was accused of committing a crime back in 2004 when he was stationed in Bengkulu. "There are police officers already standing by downstairs [to arrest me]," he said.
Earlier on Friday, National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said the police were preparing "a move" to retrieve their five of 20 investigators, who had expressed a wish to remain with the commission. "You can consider us like a father who wants to bring his disobedient children back home," Nanan said.
Following the investigation on the driving simulator procurement, police announced they would be withdrawing 20 investigators that they had seconded to the commission. Five of them opted to resign from the force and stay at the KPK.