KPK chief a murder suspect

Andra Wisnu and Irawaty Wardany ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/02/2009 10:41 PM  |  Headlines

In a bizarre twist, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chief Antasari Azhar has been named a suspect in a murder case by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) as rumors surrounding the crime continue to circulate.

Instead of the police making the call, it was the AGO that named Antasari a suspect in connection with the murder of state enterprise director Nasrudin Zulkarnaen in March.

Director of social and political affairs at the AGO's Intelligence division, Abas Azhari, said police had requested the AGO slap a travel ban on Antasari.

"The travel ban is valid from today and will last for one year," he told a media conference.

AGO spokesperson Jasman Pandjaitan later said Antasari might be charged with conspiring to murder, though he refused to explain the exact motive behind the killing.

Jasman further said Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, who was not present at the press conference, regretted Antasari's alleged involvement in the murder.

"He *Hendarman* deeply regrets that a former state prosecutor may be involved in a conspiracy to murder," said Jasman.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his support for an investigation into the murder case.

Presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng said Friday the president deemed this investigation an example of strict law enforcement.

"Anyone guilty must undergo processes regulated by the law until he or she faces trial," Andi said at the Bogor Presidential Palace.

KPK deputy chairman Bibit Samad Riyanto said in the absence of Antasari, who may face questioning on Monday, the four KPK deputy chiefs would take turns leading the antigraft commission.

According to KPK law, the head of state can suspend the KPK chief if he or she is named a criminal suspect.

Antasari played a key role in the crackdown on corruption within the AGO, which has cost the prosecutors corps the trust of the public.

The KPK's ruthless fight against corruption was evident when it declared former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, the father-in-law of the president's eldest son, a suspect in an embezzlement scandal.

Before his stint at the KPK, Antasari was the Director of Prosecution of General Crimes at the Junior Attorney General's Office for Special Crimes.

Nasrudin, the director of state firm PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, died on March 14 from gunshot wounds he sustained in a drive-by shooting that took place as he left the Modernland Golf Course in Tangerang.

The motive of the murder remained a mystery for more than a month until National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri announced the police had arrested nine suspects late Wednesday.

The announcement spawned many unconfirmed rumors, including that the mastermind paid Rp 500 million (US$47,500) to the hitman and his associates, that the shooter may have trained as a soldier in the East Timor conflict, that one of the nine suspects is a former district police chief and that Sigid Haryo Wibisono, a golfing buddy of Antasari and Nasrudin, was one of the detained suspects.

Earlier Friday, police said they had apprehended seven suspects and were hunting two more, and did not deny one may be a public official.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.