The controversial case against Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto was officially halted on Tuesday, paving the way for their triumphant return as deputy chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission.
However, the long-awaited decision was tarnished by the perceived ambivalence of the Attorney General's Office, a group's plan to file a lawsuit against the decision and comments from several disapproving members of the House of Representatives.
Prosecutors reiterated on Tuesday their position that they had a strong case in charging Bibit and Chandra with extortion and abuse of power. But they said they had decided to stop pursuing the case because doing so would likely hurt the country. However, the official reason cited was SKPP, which refers to the AGO's right to declare a case unworthy of trial because it lacks evidence.
"Whatever the surrounding conditions, I'm grateful for this and thank you for all the support," Chandra said after he and Bibit received formal notification that their ordeal was over.
Bibit said he appreciated the prosecutors' decision and was grateful for their sensitivity "to the public's demands for justice."
Both men have been suspended from their posts at the commission, also known as the KPK, since they were named suspects in mid-September. They are now awaiting a presidential decree reinstating them.
AGO and National Police officials have been the target of vehement public criticism for what the Constitutional Court said was a conspiracy to bring down the KPK.
Luhut Pangaribuan, a lawyer acting for Chandra and Bibit, said he disagreed with the AGO's claim that it had solid evidence against the pair. "We have believed since the very beginning that the case never existed. If they are cleared of the charges, the only reason must be that [prosecutors] have no evidence," he said.
Lawyer Petrus Bala Pattyona spoke on behalf of a group of lawyers and legal experts who said they would file a suit challenging the legality of the case's termination. He said the prosecutors' decision had damaged the country's judicial system.
"[Chandra and Bibit] have been released even before the prosecution stage begins, but in another part of this country, two men are facing years in jail for allegedly stealing several watermelons," Petrus said. "Dropping the case midway in the investigation stage has damaged the principle of equality before the law."
The group plans to file suit at the South Jakarta District Court on Friday to challenge the prosecutors' decision, Petrus said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has been criticized for failing to act decisively to resolve the case, again on Tuesday spoke in vague generalities.
"I want to review the choices we took in the Bibit and Chandra case. Considering the development of public opinion, our choice is to perform comprehensive improvements in various agencies that we still have shortcomings, mistakes and things that do not run correctly," he said. "Without taking the case to court, it is the best vehicle for our purposes to continue to prevent and eradicate corruption and all accountable agencies can be improved."
Several legislators voiced concerns about the issuing of the SKPP, fearing it could create a loophole in future cases.
Golkar's Aziz Syamsudin, deputy chairman of the House's commission III, which oversees legal affairs, noted that issuing the SKPP contradicted the AGO's position that there was sufficient evidence. Commission chairman Benny K Harman, a member of the Democratic Party, said the commission would summon Attorney General Hendarman Supandji for clarification.