Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Six national commissions criticized the police on Tuesday for criminalizing two deputy chairmen from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"We regret and are concerned with the criminalization of KPK deputies carrying out the commission's function, duty and authority to eradicate corruption in Indonesia," National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas-HAM) chairman Ifdhal Kasim said in a joint statement prepared by the six commissions.

The statement was signed by representatives of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), the KPK, the Financial Transaction Report and Analysis Center (PPATK), the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) and National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

The commissions said the action had indications of legal uncertainty and a was a violation of human rights.

The two KPK deputy chairmen – Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto – were named suspects two weeks ago for an alleged abuse of power in issuing travel bans on corruption suspects Anggoro Widjojo and Djoko S. Tjandra (who are now at large) and for lifting a travel ban on Djoko.

The police subsequently accused them of having received bribes from Anggoro to halt investigations into corruption cases implicating Anggoro's company, PT Masaro Radiokom.

However, the police have failed to convince the public over the accusations, as to date they have failed to produce any evidence to support the charges.

Both Chandra and Bibit have been suspended from their duties because of their status as suspects, and President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono has set up a five-member selection committee to shortlist candidates to replace them.

"This will damage Indonesia's image especially regarding its commitment to fighting poverty, and reduce international trust for investment in this country," Ifdhal said as quoted by Antara state news wire on Tuesday.

Ifdhal urged the police to speed up the legal processing of the two KPK deputy chairmen so they could have legal certainty. "Should the police not have enough evidence to support these allegations, their names should be cleared."

The KPK is currently led by two deputy chairmen, Haryono Umar and M. Jasin, of its original team of five.

Aside from Chandra and Bibit, suspended KPK chief Antasari Azhar is also facing legal problems because of his implication in the murder of the director of a state-owned firm, Nasruddin Zulkarnen.

According to Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, his office handed over Antasari's murder case files to South Jakarta District Court on Monday. "But we have yet to inform the President of this development," he said.

If the dossier was accepted by the court and Antasari becomes a defendant, he must be dismissed from his position.

The selection committee for the replacement KPK leadership is holding a series of intensive meetings to discuss potential candidates.

Anti-corruption activist Teten Masduki claimed he had turned down an offer for the position because there were no guarantees he would not be criminalized by police while doing the KPK's job.

Hendarman, on the other hand, said he had proposed 8,000 names of attorneys to the committee, and expected at least one to be appointed to chair the commission.