Rizky Amelia & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The recent admission by the National Police chief that the police were receiving money from Freeport Indonesia has prompted everyone from lawmakers to activists to demand investigations into where the money went and what exactly the miner was buying.

Velix Wanggai, a special staff member to the president for regional autonomy, said the palace had no immediate reaction to the matter. "At this time there is no opinion from the palace," he said.

He added, however, that in ventures of such strategic importance as the gold and copper mine in Papua, "there is space for cooperation, including in some cost sharing."

But he declined to comment on whether the payments might affect the professionalism or objectivity of the police. "This is an opportunity for the government to rearrange ties between Freeport and the central government," he said.

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said on Friday that the police accepted "pocket money" from Freeport for helping to provide security for the company and its operations.

Timur declined to give details of the amounts involved. Rights group Imparsial puts the amount that Freeport annually pays the police at $14 million.

Bondan Gunawan, a rights activist and former state secretary, said the money from Freeport "is completely unaccounted for; it's just out there."

Abdul Hamim Jauzie, chairman of LBH Keadilan, said the state should be finance the police and all their operations. "It is inappropriate for the police to receive money from the company," Hamim said, calling for an audit of the money the police had received from Freeport.

Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said at the very least the money should go to the National Police, rather than local officers as is currently the case, especially those working on the ground at the mine.

"The responsibility for this strange security fund from Freeport should fall on the shoulders of the National Police's leaders at the headquarters, not those officers in the field in Papua," Bambang said.

Placing the responsibility for receiving the money on the officers at the site, he said, "can only demoralize them." He did not offer any further explanation.

Timur has said it is acceptable for the police to accept money from a company that has received help from the police. Bambang, who is a member of House of Representatives Commission III on legal affairs, said he would ask the House to question Timur about the matter.

Neta S. Pane, the head of Indonesia Police Watch, said that Freeport's payments could possibly be classified as unjustifiable gratuities and that both Freeport and the police could face sanctions. He said the IPW was calling on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the fund and its uses.

"Police personnel tend to be more hostile toward the people. If in the KPK investigation it is found that the money can be seen as a bribe, then the Freeport officials should also be sanctioned," he said.