Jakarta – Activists and lawyers suspected that there is a plan to oust one of the country's most prominent anti-graft investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission and reassign him to one of Indonesia's state-owned companies.
Novel Baswedan, a senior officer at the anti-graft body, or KPK, who has led investigations into many high profile corruption cases, has been named a suspect for allegedly fatally shooting a thief in 2004 during his time as a police investigator in Bengkulu province, but was only prosecuted recently in what is widely perceived as retaliation after the KPK charged a top police general for bribery last year.
Prosecutors last week announced that it is withdrawing its criminal prosecution against Novel from the Bengkulu District Court following talks between President Joko Widodo and Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo.
But in a surprise twist, newly-installed KPK commissioners had apparently asked Novel to "devote" himself to a state-owned company of his choice and resign from his position as an anti-graft investigator, his lawyer said during a press conference at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (09/02).
KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata confirmed that such a request was made but added that it had only been a suggestion.
KPK "leaders want KPK employees to go to SOEs and ministries so that they can be agents of change to fight corruption from inside SOEs and ministries," he told Tempo.co. "But up to this point there are no talks [with SOEs and ministries about the transfer]; it is still a suggestion."
Activists were quick to express their disappointment at the KPK's suggestion. "It is really disappointing that the KPK prefers to transfer [Novel] to an SOE because it shows [the new KPK leaders] are reluctant to have anything to do with the case. This is not a legal case, it is political," Miko Ginting from the Legal and Policy Study Center (PSHK) said at press conference.
Executive director of the Indonesian Civil Society Circle (Lima) Ray Rangkuti echoed the sentiment. "It is inappropriate for [KPK] leaders to oust him just like that. The KPK Ethics Council must identify parties meddling with the KPK by transferring Novel to an SOE," he said.
Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said that during a meeting with Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo, shortly before prosecutors withdrew Novel's case from the Bengkulu District Court, President Joko Widodo only instructed to resolve Novel's case "within the corridors of the law."
"There are no strings attached, no trade-off whatsoever. The president has made it clear that the case should be resolved within the corridors of the law," he said.