Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Activists lambasted the National Police on Sunday over its decision to grant prestigious positions to two police generals who allegedly own suspiciously large bank accounts.
Among nine new regional police chiefs appointed last week are two police generals included on a list of 23 police officers suspected to be in possession of implausibly large amounts of money in their bank accounts.
The two are Insp. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, who will leave his post as National Police Legal Assistance division head to serve as East Java Police chief, and Insp. Gen. Bambang Suparno, a lecturer at the police's School for Leadership who will be the new Jambi Police chief.
According to a report by Tempo magazine, unknown third parties transferred billions of rupiah to Badrodin's and Bambang Suparno's bank accounts.
Legal researcher from the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Febridiansyah, criticized police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri for setting a "bad precedence for the public by promoting troubled police generals".
The implicated police officers were supposed to be suspended from duty until an internal investigation into their accounts was completed, Febri said. "The promotions really disappointed us. It's like showing appreciation for corrupt officials," he said.
Last month, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang announced that of the 23 police officers, only the accounts of two of them were suspicious. Edward refused to disclose the names of the 21 other officers but said the police had clarified that the funds in their accounts had come from "legal sources". Previously, the police announced that Insp. Gen. Budi Gunawan, who allegedly amassed Rp 95 billion (US$10.45 million) in his two bank accounts, had legally collected the money from his private businesses.
Febri said he did not have faith in the police's internal investigation. "The accounts case should be investigated by an independent third party, not by the police themselves," he said.
Echoing Febri's statement, Neta S. Pane from the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) urged Bambang Hendarso to cancel the promotions. "The decision to promote problematic police generals is damaging the public's sense of justice," Neta said.
He said last week's internal rotation had been used by Bambang Hendarso to reward certain police generals for loyalty and to ensure stability at the end of his tenure.
"Their integrity is suspect, but they are being transferred to prestigious positions. It shows that this time, the new positions were dedicated to those who have shown loyalty," Neta said.
Bambang Hendarso will leave his post in October.
National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana refused to comment on the suggestion that the suspicious accounts and the promotions were related. "The transfers are related to organizational needs and regular promotion programs, that's all," he said.
The National Police's announcement of the results of their probe into the accounts has triggered criticism that the police did not carry out the investigation with impartiality.
The probe was conducted after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the police to investigate the accounts. According to presidential staff for legal affairs, Denny Indrayana, Yudhoyono was very concerned about the investigation.