Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has promoted 28 National Police personnel, who were working as KPK investigators, to permanent employees, KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas said.

Busyro said on Thursday that the commissioners had issued a decision letter and had informed the National Police regarding the promotions. Busyro said the 28 investigators' promotions complied with Government Regulation No. 63/2005 on the Management of KPK Human Resources.

"The KPK is allowed to appoint its own investigators, so the law enforcement agencies must acknowledge the legality," he said as quoted by kompas.com.

The commission was now considering the right mechanism to allow the investigators to resign from their previous institution, Busryo said.

According to the regulation, KPK employees are also able to request to become permanent staff by resigning from their previous positions after working for the commission for eight years.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi had previously said that five of the 20 police investigators who had been withdrawn by the National police would become permanent employees of the commission.

The antigraft commission is now also recruiting investigators from its own staffers after the police recalled 20 investigators who were handling cases in September.

The KPK has only 78 investigators, far fewer than the 300 targeted in 2010. The commission depends on other state institutions, including the National Police, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), the government-backed Finance Development Comptroller (BPKP) and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), to recruit investigators. (cor/swd)