Heru Andriyanto & Nivell Rayda – The Corruption Eradication Commission hinted on Monday that it would name controversial businessman Anggodo Widjojo a suspect for allegedly conspiring with senior police officers and prosecutors to take down two antigraft commissioners.

"It's a big possibility," Bibit Samad Rianto, the commission's deputy for enforcement, said when asked about possible plans to charge Anggodo. He added the businessman could be charged with attempted bribery and obstructing an investigation by the antigraft agency, which is also known as the KPK. The charges carry a combined maximum penalty of life in jail.

Bibit and fellow deputy Chandra Hamzah were controversially charged by police with extortion and abuse of power in September based on the testimony of Anggodo and several other witnesses.

The case drew public outrage after the Constitutional Court played wiretaped phone conversations in which Anggodo was heard plotting measures to set up the two deputies who were investigating a corruption case involving his brother, Anggoro Widjojo.

Bibit said any decision to charge Anggodo would need the approval of the KPK's five-strong leadership board. "Hopefully, we can decide in the near future," Bibit told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar in Jakarta.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the KPK was planning to summon Anggodo this week.

The intimations, however, were immediately rejected by Bonaran Situmeang, a lawyer working for Angoddo, who dismissed the remarks as groundless. According to prosecutors, Bonaran said, Bibit and Chandra were the "real criminals." He said the Attorney General's Office had declared the case against Chandra and Bibit complete and said the criminal charges against them met all legal requirements.

The two men were initially accused of extorting Anggoro for money and younger brother Anggodo claimed to have paid them off through a middleman named Ary Muladi.

"My question is, the case against Bibit and Chandra has been declared complete but it was abruptly dropped, Bonaran said. "Why is [the KPK] now targeting my client for a bribery case that never existed?"

The AGO on Dec. 1 dropped the charges against Bibit and Chandra amid massive public opposition and a media uproar – not because they lacked evidence, but, Bonaran said, because "it would be more morally harmful than beneficial to bring their case to the court."

When asked why Anggodo handed Rp 5.1 billion ($545,700) to Ary Muladi to be channeled to the antigraft officials, Bonaran replied "because he was extorted and the money was meant to get their attention."

"Prosecutors said the Rp 5.1 billion was part of the extortion case [against Bibit and Chandra] but now the money is said to be [evidence] in the bribery case against Anggodo. Which one is true?"

Bonaran said if his client was summoned by the KPK, he would examine the summons letter before allowing his client to attend. "We will have to first check the case if it has anything to do with my client. He will attend the summons if necessary," he said, adding that Anggodo was still in Indonesia.

Emerson Yuntho, deputy head of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said that the KPK "had a moral obligation to the people to arrest Anggodo."

"Anggodo's arrest is very important if Indonesia wishes to curb case brokers," he said. "Activists and the Indonesian people at large have pushed for Bibit and Chandra's release. It is only fitting that the KPK returns the favor."

Emerson added that the KPK should also reposition several senior officials, whom the ICW suspects to have hindered the case against Anggodo and leaked sensitive information, namely KPK director of investigation Chief Comr. Suedi Hussein.

Suedi is an active police officer stationed at the commission. Before serving as a KPK director, Suedi was a subordinate of Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who is accused of being another key figure in the plot to oust Bibit and Chandra. Bibit said the KPK had received public complaints against Suedi and would soon act on them.