Nivell Rayda – To the chagrin of human rights and anti-graft activists, the Corruption Eradication Commission on Friday declined to name businessman Anggodo Widjojo as a graft suspect despite 10 hours of questioning and his previous admission to having paid bribes.

Emerson Yuntho, deputy chairman of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said courage, or the lack of it, was all that stood between Anggodo and charges of attempted bribery and obstructing a graft investigation by the commission, known as the KPK.

"The KPK should have named Anggodo as a suspect and arrested him. The case already has ample evidence. What is the KPK waiting for?" Emerson said, adding that the results of Friday's inquiry had disappointed antigraft activists.

Anggodo answered the KPK's summons despite suspicions that he would not. He ignored an initial KPK summons on Dec. 30, and had said he would not respond to a second summons.

Former KPK deputy chairman Erry Ryana Hardjapamekas said the decision not to arrest Anggodo would "damage people's trust in the KPK."

Anggodo's name dominated public discussion shortly after secretly taped phone conversations between the businessman and several law-enforcement officials were played at a Constitutional Court hearing. The recordings indicated he was at the center of efforts to fabricate a graft case against two KPK deputy chairmen – Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah. He claimed that he had provided Rp 5.1 billion ($556,000) to the pair in a bid to stop the KPK's investigation of his brother, Anggoro Widjojo, now a fugitive in a graft case.

The allegations against Bibit and Chandra were never proven. The Attorney General's Office dropped the charges of extortion and abuse of power against them on Dec. 1, in the face of overwhelming public pressure and a public statement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said Anggodo would face more questioning on Monday. "Based on his explanation, Anggodo is ready to be questioned again," he said. "We haven't had the chance to ask him about the recordings yet."

After the questioning, Anggodo, his lawyers and KPK's security personnel were involved in a scuffle with journalists, all eager to ask the businessman for comment on his questioning. Some 30 KPK security officers helped him get into his vehicle.

Bonaran Situmeang, Anggodo's senior lawyer, said Anggodo was asked 26 questions by KPK investigators. When asked about the chance of Anggodo escaping, Bonaran said it would be "impossible. We are ready anytime."

Anggoro is still wanted by the KPK in connection with the illegal procurement of a radio-communication system by the Ministry of Forestry in 2007 from his company, PT Masaro Radiokom. Anggoro allegedly gave more than $1 million in kickbacks to politicians and ministry officials.

In addition to Anggoro, three people have been declared suspects in the Ministry of Forestry case. A former politician from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Yusuf Erwin Faishal, is now serving a four-and-a-half year prison term.