Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – A former investigation director from the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) revealed flaws with the antigraft body during a hearing with the fact-finding team.
"I was withdrawn from the KPK and returned to the police based on a request by (discharged KPK chairman) Pak Antasari Azhar, because I refused to work for KPK chairmen with personal interests during investigations," Bambang Widaryatmo said Wednesday after a hearing with the fact-finding team assigned to investigate the alleged fabricated criminal charges against two KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.
Bambang provided an example of a bribery case involving the South Sumatra provincial administration.
"My team and I were about to conduct a search on the office of former South Sumatra governor Syahrial Oesman," he said. "But my subordinates were told to halt the process because of a request from a KPK chairman.
"The order came from Antasari who passed it on to Chandra. It was delivered by (KPK deputy director for prosecution) Ade Raharja."
Syahrial was convicted by the Corruption Court for bribing members of the House of Representatives' Commission IV to convert 600 hectares of protected mangrove forest into the Tanjung Api-Api seaport.
Syahrial received one year in jail. Before questioning Bambang, the team questioned suspended Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hakim Ritonga, former assistant attorney general for intelligence Wisnu Subroto and Ade.
Bambang was one of the KPK officials mentioned in a controversial recording by Ari Muladi, an alleged middleman in the so-called bribery involving the KPK deputies.
Ari mentioned that of the Rp 5.1 billion (US$545,000) that fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo allegedly gave to the KPK deputies, Rp 1 billion was given to Bambang.
Bambang denied all the accusations. "I have met neither Ari nor Yulianto let alone received money or gifts from them."
Fact-finding team leader Adnan Buyung Nasution said Bambang's testimony had revealed the KPK worked with an "unusual" system and "The KPK was not an angel". "Irregularities don't only exist in the police and the AGO, but also in the KPK," he said.
However, team member Todung Mulya Lubis said this would not change its recommendation on the KPK deputies' case to the President. So far, he said, the team concluded the police did not have sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against Bibit and Chandra. "But complaints about the KPK will aid our report to the President," he said.
He added the team would also recommend to the President that the antigraft body remain separate from the police and the AGO to increase the institution's reliability, including conducting its own training.
"The KPK has proposed to train its own investigators and prosecutors to ensure there are no ties with the two other law enforce-ment agencies," he said. "However, due to a limited budget, it's unlikely to happen."