Dicky Christanto and Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – In a move that has incited a public outcry, the National Police arrested Thursday two suspended antigraft officials, just a day after the Attorney General's Office asked for the charges to be dropped.
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah have been charged with abuse of power for imposing and then lifting travel bans on graft suspects Anggoro Widjojo and Djoko Sugiarto Tjandra. Both Anggoro and Djoko remain at large.
The deputies are also accused of taking bribes from Anggoro to halt a graft investigation into his company, PT Masaro Radiokom.
Thursday's arrests prompted noted public figures to step forward and vouch for the two deputies in a bid to get them released. These included former KPK deputy Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, sociologist Imam Prasodjo and lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis.
Police arrested Bibit and Chandra after claiming to have found strong indications that both KPK deputies were attempting to interfere in the investigation into them.
"We have arrested the two KPK deputy leaders because we consider they have jeopardized the investigation by expressing their personal opinions to the public," said National Police deputy chief detective Insp. Gen. Dikdik Mulyana.
He declined to say if police had managed to gather more evidence linking Bibit and Chandra to the alleged bribery and abuse of power. "What we have here can be checked in depth at their trial, in-cluding the details of the story," Dikdik said.
He also shrugged off questions about a reported voice recording believed to be that of a conversation between Anggoro's brother, Anggodo, and several other figures, including from the AGO.
In one part of the recording, between an unidentified woman and a man believed to be Anggodo, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is said to have given his support for a plan to frame the two KPK deputies.
National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji was notably absent from Thursday's press conference. Susno is alleged to have been wiretapped by the KPK demanding money from Bank Century executives, during a probe into the Century scandal.
The remaining KPK leaders expressed concerned over the "forced arrest" of their colleagues. "Our legal division officials are [at the National Police headquarters] with them, and we as the KPK leaders will soon ask for their release," said KPK interim chairman Tumpak H. Panggabean.
He added the case was having a psychological impact on antigraft officials. "It's our duty to boost their morale and encourage them to do their jobs as usual," he said.
Former KPK deputy Erry questioned the reason for the arrest, saying he would seek clarification from the police. "If they've really been made suspects for implementing the law, including by imposing a travel ban on a corruption suspect, which is exactly what we did, then why are we not being made suspects too?" he said.