Anti-graft activists urged the police to focus on investigating Nasruddin's murder case instead of following up on the written testimony of suspended chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Antasari Azhar.
The activists argued the testimony was baseless, and would only further weaken the KPK's fight against corruption.
"If the police insist on investigating Antasari's written statement then most likely it will disrupt the KPK's daily performance. And if this kind of situation emerges, then most likely the graft commission would not be able to carry out its duty in fighting graft," Teten Masduki, Secretary General of the Transparency International Indonesia chapter, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Handwritten notes, reportedly Antasari's testimony, detail the alleged bribery, and mention an anonymous letter that says one of his then deputies had received a bribe from Anggoro Widjojo, a KPK graft suspect. Speculation is rife that Antasari is referring to M. Jasin.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda Dwi Laksana confirmed Wednesday Antasari had filed a report on the alleged bribery.
Teten said if the KPK was unable to function properly this would provide opportunities for those who had waited to crush the anti-graft commission. "These people will seek justification so they can paralyze the KPK's authority or even get rid of the KPK for good."
Antasari's written testimony was taken from data that was stored in his laptop. A source close to the KPK said that KPK investigators also had a complete recording of Anggoro's discussion with Antasari.
"In fact, in the complete recording, Antasari could not manage to find further clarification about the bribes from Anggoro, who is famous as a person who likes to bluff. So if the police insist on following up the testimony then they should find new evidence that strengthens the statement, or else it would be useless," said the source, who spoke under anonymity.
Emerson Yuntho, deputy coordinator of the Indonesia Corruption Watch, said the testimony could be treated as evidence to support Antasari's report.
"The Anti-Graft Commission Law clearly prohibits KPK members from meeting the parties implicated in graft cases being investigated by the KPK. So the recording containing Antasari's discussion with Anggoro is already a clear evidence of violation, and could lead to five years of imprisonment for Antasari."
Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said to four men had been questioned by the police regarding Antasari's testimony. However Nanan refused to elaborate further.
"I was just informed that four men were questioned regarding this case. I was not informed about the result of the questioning. It is within the authority of the investigators."