The government-sanctioned fact-finding team, dubbed Team 8, held various meetings Wednesday with parties involved in a saga over criminal cases against the suspended deputy leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The team also met with chief editors of national media outlets  in the evening.

On Wednesday the team is slated to meet National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji and Anggodo Widjojo among the figures    in the scandal.

National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, detective deputy chief Insp. Gen. Dikdik Mulyana, legal division deputy chief Brig. Gen. Jovianes and several detectives have also been questioned.

The group has been tasked to investigate the origin of  the case against Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto and its progress so far.

“Apparently it began from the testimony of Antasari [Azhar],” team chairman Adnan Buyung Nasution said after the meeting.

“The police found that Antasari went to Singapore and met with Anggoro Widjojo, who has been put on a travel ban list.

“Antasari heard that his deputies had received money from Anggoro,” Buyung said.

Deposed KPK chief Antasari is being tried for allegedly plotting the murder of Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, a director at a state firm, while Anggoro is the director of PT Masaro Radiokom and is allegedly involved in a bribery case involving a communication system project at the Forestry Ministry.

Bambang also said the KPK deputies had abused their power by lifting the travel ban against graft suspect Joko Chandra by stating that he had been “investigated and prosecuted, while the fact is that never happened”.

The police arrested Chandra and Bibit on Thursday and released them in the early hours of Wednesday after the Constitutional Court heard voice recordings describing a plot to frame the deputies.

The police also detained Anggodo for questioning Tuesday evening.

“Bambang said the police would have to release Anggodo if no sufficient preliminary evidence was found to arrest him,” Buyung said.

Team member Anies Baswedan said he did not know what kind of evidence the police still lacked.
However, Anggodo was later released on Wednesday evening.

During a meeting with the chief editors, Team 8 member Todung Mulya Lubis said that Anggodo’s taped conversation showed his contempt for the law.

“Police decided this morning that there is not enough evidence so he will be released. This is clearly an obstruction of justice, it cannot be tolerated.

“We don’t think we are limited to verifying the process of investigation of Bibit and Chandra, after what we heard yesterday [Tuesday] at the Constitutional Court.”

The team’s end goal “should be to uproot the mafioso and corrupt practices in the court, and thoroughly reform the legal system,” he said.

Anies stressed the need to keep the momentum going to ensure legal reform.

Separately, activists urged the  President to take firm action against the police and the Attorney General’s Office by replacing senior officials allegedly involved in the plot against the two KPK deputies.

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