Adianto Simamora and Abdul Khalik, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA, PITTSBURGH | Sat, 09/26/2009 12:06 PM
The National Police charged on Friday two suspended deputies from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) with bribery, adding to earlier charges of power abuse.
The announcement came as Indonesian business leaders gathering in a world summit in Pittsburgh, USA, complained that the continuing uncertainty around the leading figures led to negative perceptions among the international community.
National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the charges were based on investigations into a police report filed in July by Antasari Azhar, the KPK chairman who is facing murder charges.
The latest charges against his deputies, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, were made public hours after Vice President Jusuf Kalla demanded that the police clarify the status of the suspects, who as of Friday had not been detained.
The announcement came just three days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono set up a team to select interim leaders to fill the vacancies in the KPK, which has been left with two deputies.
"Antasari reported on July 6 the incidence of blackmailing and bribery between the KPK leaders and Masaro," Gen. Bambang said, referring to a company involved in a graft case handled by the KPK.
He denied the police's investigation into the case had been solely based on Antasari's testimony.
He said Chandra and Bibit had violated the 1999 corruption law. They face a penalty ranging from four years to life imprisonment.
Masaro's executive Anggoro Widjojo is charged with bribing the KPK leaders with Rp 5.15 billion in cash.
The KPK deputies were charged earlier with abuse of power for issuing travel bans against Anggoro and another executive in a separate case and then revoking both bans to extort them in return for not pursuing their cases. The deputies have denied the charges.
Bambang said the KPK reopened the case only after police found records about the Antasari meeting with Anggoro.
Bambang said Antasari suggested to Anggoro that he bribe Chandra. He added the former chairman, accused of masterminding the murder of a businessman he was investigating, also violated the KPK Law in meeting Anggoro, whom the KPK had named suspect in a graft case.
Bambang said Masaro was one of many cases that involved KPK leaders and bribery.
"There is a bigger case than this that is still under investigation."
Earlier in the day, Vice President Kalla demanded that police clarify the reasons for naming the KPK deputies as suspects.
"If the two *KPK members* are not found guilty, the case must be formally dropped," Kalla said.
"If charged, the *legal* process must continue."
In Pittsburgh, the venue of the Group of 20 summit, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) MS Hidayat said legal certainty in the case was urgent.
"Prolonged uncertainty will be bad for Indonesia's investment climate while trust in a clean government is one of the primary reasons to invest."
The President and police have denied they are trying to end the unprecedented powers of the independent body tasked with investigating and prosecuting corrupters. (mrs)
