SBY urges publication of tapes, decries wiretaps

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for the voice recordings reportedly naming him in an alleged plot to frame two antigraft deputies on trumped-up bribery charges be made public.

Yudhoyono said the country needed to know who the people in the recordings were, what they actually talked about, and whether the recordings really implicated a plot against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

Bibit and Chandra were arrested Thursday on charges of abuse of power and bribery.

“Open up [the recordings], explain the contents, and carry out a thorough investigation into the case,” Yudhoyono said.

“It's been said that my name is brought up; I don’t know anything about this. I’ve never communicated [with the people on the recordings].

“I’m hurt, terribly hurt.”

He added he had ordered National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri to investigate the recordings that KPK interim chairman Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean claims to possess.

The KPK has not officially released the recordings to the public, but what are believed to be leaked transcripts have made the rounds of the media.

Yudhoyono added after the contents of the recordings had been clarified, the police should investigate how they had been obtained.

“Is wiretapping in line with the law? Imagine if people can buy bugging devices and wiretapping as they please,” he said, echoing similar remarks in the  past when he insinuated the KPK had become overly powerful.

“There'd be sea of wiretaps, all of it against the law.”

Earlier, Yudhoyono met with Bambang and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji to get an explanation for the arrest of Bibit and Chandra.

Despite widespread protests over the police’s moves, Yudhoyono said he would not intervene and would let the probe into Bibit and Chandra continue.