Jakarta – The newly appointed Detective Corps chief at the National Police, Insp. Gen. Budi Waseso, received the commissioner general rank, opening up the possibility for promotion to the institution's top position.

The three-star rank was conferred by acting police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti during a ceremony held at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday. A number of middle- and high-rank police officials were also present at the ceremony

"[The promotion is] 100 percent valid because it was a presidential decision, so [Waseso's] inauguration is official," he said after the ceremony.

Waseso, also former chief of the Gorontalo Police, was recently appointed chief of the Detective Corps to replace Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius, who was appointed secretary of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas).

Separately, Edi Hasibuan, member of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), said his commission would propose Waseso as one of five three-star police officials deemed to meet administrative and legal requirements to be nominated as police chief if the President asked the commission for the names of national police chief candidates.

"The commission orally submitted Waseso's name in a recent meeting with the commission," he said, adding that Waseso would be officially inserted on the list of police chief candidates when the President asked for it in time.

In line with the 2002 Police Law, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is expected to ask the commission to propose a new list of high-rank police officials considered to meet the requirements to be nominated as police chief after the President decided not to swear in Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as police chief.

Budi, who was the sole candidate for police chief and won political endorsement, has been named a suspect in a graft case. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/05/waseso-receives-three-star-rank.html