Several senior supporters of failed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto have been investigated for and charged with treason in recent weeks in relation to the violent protests that took place on and around May 22, violence that was spurred by Prabowo and his campaign's insistent but unsubstantiated charges of election fraud.
The latest figure to be named a treason suspect is a former police general who once headed up the Jakarta Police.
Today, the Jakarta Police confirmed that retired police general M. Sofyan Jacob, who briefly led the Jakarta Police from May 2001 to December 2001, had officially been named a treason suspect along with Prabowo campaigner Eggi Sudjana.
"He's already been named a suspect. The case is still being investigated by the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit," Jakarta Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono confirmed to reporters today as quoted by Tempo.
However, Argo did not provide any details regarding why exactly Sofyan had been charged or who had originally reported him.
Argo did mention that Sofyan had been scheduled to be questioned by police this morning in relation to the case but did not attend, claiming illness. His lawyer requested that the interrogation be moved to next week, but Argo said it would depend on the schedule of investigators.
Sofyan was one of a number of former police and military generals that gathered at Prabowo's house on the evening of May 22, the same day that protests by Prabowo supporters and violent rioting engulfed parts of Central Jakarta. The purpose of the meeting was not made clear to the public.
Prior to that, Sofyan had made his support for Prabowo clear with appearances at the Gerindra chief's rallies and admonishments to police leadership to make sure officers remained politically neutral during the election.
Another senior Prabowo supporter that has been named a treason suspect is former military general Kivlan Zen. The latest issue of Tempo magazine features an interview Iwan Kurniawan, a man already in police custody for his alleged involvement in the riots, in which Iwan claim that he had been hired by Kivlan to assassinate four high-ranking government officials. Kivlan, who is currently in police detainment, has denied the accusation.