Rendi A. Witular and Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – A mid-ranking police officer has revealed efforts by the force to fabricate criminal charges against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.
The officer, involved in the investigation into Bibit and Chandra, was so troubled about the extent of the possible fabrication that he decided to come forward and confess about the plot to frame the antigraft officials, a senior KPK official said.
The Jakarta Post could not name the officer over fears for his safety and career.
The officer met with KPK investigations head Insp. Gen. (ret) Ade Rahardja on Aug. 3 for 47 minutes at the KPK headquarters, where he said the bribery allegations against Chandra and Bibit were groundless.
A note from the meeting quoted the officer as saying erroneous indications had been followed up on since the start of the investigation, with evidence to support worked into the criminal charges.
He added chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji had told him to spin the testimony of former KPK chairman Antasari Azhar, made on May 16, from the original "bribes paid to certain KPK employees" into "bribes paid to KPK leaders" by fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo.
On Sept. 15, police used Antasari's testimony to declare Bibit and Chandra suspects for extortion and abuse of power, rather than bribery.
The officer's confession has given credence to suspicions of a plot by the police to frame the KPK leaders. A presidential fact-finding team and the Attorney General's Office both say the charges lack strong evidence.
The fact-finding team has focused on the lack of evidence rather than the suspected fabrication.
Despite blowing the whistle on the conspiracy, the officer has yet to be summoned for questioning by the fact-finding team. The officer once accompanied police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri for questioning before the team.
Lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, a team member, said Thursday he had heard of the officer's confession but had no plan to summon him, citing various reasons.
A high-ranking KPK official said safety concerns ruled out any possibility of the officer being dragged before the team or testifying in court.
The officer also revealed a testimony by Ari Muladi, named by police as the middleman who delivered the bribe to the KPK leaders, was entirely fabricated. Ari has also recanted his testimony, which police insist is part of the body of evidence.
In another meeting between the officer and Ade on Aug. 6, lasting 17 minutes, it was revealed senior police officers had decided to widen the investigation to include Bibit and Chandra, despite earlier assurances to the contrary by police chief Bambang to the KPK leaders.
In a meeting on Aug. 21, lasting one hour and 49 minutes, the officer outlined the convoluted plot to frame the KPK leaders by involving several other middlemen and Anggoro's younger brother, Anggodo.
Ade denied to the Post that he had ever met the officer. However, Bibit told the Post in an earlier report on Nov. 2 that the two had met. "I can confirm that there was a senior police officer, whose name I cannot disclose, who came to the KPK to confess about the fabrication," he said.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistio Ishak denied that any officers had jumped ship. "The case [against the KPK leaders] was not plotted. And there's no such officer talking to KPK officials of irregularities in the case," he said.