Noviani Setuningsih & Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla says that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) itself is to blame for any supposed moves it claims are aimed at weakening the antigraft agency.

"The KPK may have grown weaker because of the internal factors – you all know the story, the glass house and politics and such," Kalla said, referring to the title of an article published in Kompas newspaper. In in the article, it was claimed that former KPK chief Abraham Samad had illegally met with some politicians during the presidential campaign last year.

Kalla said that nobody from outside the KPK was trying to dismantle it. The vice president also denied that the KPK had suffered a defeat when the Attorney General's Office on Monday took over its case against Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a former National Police chief candidate who had been named a graft suspect but who successfully challenged that KPK move in court last month.

"I don't think it's about winning or losing. It was a court decision – it was a legal matter and not a battle," Kalla said.

Activists were quick to criticize Monday's decision, warning that the move could pave the way for other graft suspects to get away from facing justice.

"The handover is a severe blow to the KPK as well as a cause for celebration for those seeking to weaken the KPK," Miko Ginting, a researcher with the Center for Legal and Policy Studies, or PSHK, said on Monday.

Miko said the KPK should have pressed on with its case against Budi – whom President Joko Widodo nominated for National Police chief in January before withdrawing him last month – despite a court ruling faulting the KPK's basis for naming Budi a bribery and money-laundering suspect.

Budi was charged in connection with irregular transactions amounting to millions of dollars flowing through his personal bank accounts between 2003 and 2006.

But the lone South Jakarta District Court judge hearing the pretrial motion filed by Budi against his status as a criminal suspect, Sarpin Rizaldi, explained on Feb. 16 that the KPK had no jurisdiction over the police general, whom he described as "not being a law enforcer" at the time of the alleged money laundering.

Kalla said KPK should start a process of introspection to find out what is really causing it to lose authority.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/vp-kalla-says-outsiders-trying-weaken-KPK/