Justice not served: People claiming to be victims of injustice demonstrate outside Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday demanding the resignation of National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji. The man in a mock police uniform pictured at the left poster is Anggodo Widjojo, the businessman allegedly conspiring with police and attorneys over a graft case involving his fugitive elder brother Anggoro.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
With high-level police and AGO resignations Thursday the central figure in the KPK graft scandal is still free, while jokers say businessman Anggodo Widjojo “is the real National Police chief”.
The sense that those really involved remain untouched despite the resignations were strengthened in an evening hearing between the National Police and legislators, who gave the police a morale boost.
The police detective chief, Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who resigned, is “only [involved] for the purposes of verification” by the presidential fact-finding team, says National Police chief Genr. Bambang Hendarso Danuri.
This answered questions earlier in the day on Susno’s resignation.
Legislators mostly praised the police and gave a big round of applause to Susno, who presented himself in civilian clothes
“We ask that the police chief refuse to meet demands to have Pak Susno resign,” Bambang Susatyo of the Golkar Party said.
Susno described how he and his family were suffering while Bambang stressed that he and his staff were ready to be accountable “on Earth and in heaven” for their widely questioned investigations into leaders of the antigraft body.
“My wife and children are scared to leave [the house],” Susno told the hearing, which lasted past midnight.
Susno was mentioned in recordings broadcast Tuesday from the Constitutional Court, along with A.H. Ritonga, the deputy attorney general, who also resigned. Resignations following scandals are rare among officials in Indonesia.
The recordings hinted at framing two deputies of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah. Anggodo in the recordings was apparently trying to get the KPK to drop the case against his brother, Anggoro Widjojo, which the KPK was investigating. His firm is suspected of bribing the Forestry Ministry to get a ministry communications procurement contract.
At the House, a lawmaker of the National Mandate Party was among the few critical voices. “Why do the police charges [against Bibit and Chandra] keep changing?” said Ahmad Ruba’i.
It was another day of rage and uproarious laughter as residents followed the broadcasts of the corruption saga which some considered to be a “comedy.”
The afternoon started with Anggodo pleading to the fact-finding team to guarantee him legal protection, “as I am an ordinary citizen entitled to justice just like everyone else.” Claiming to fear the KPK, he begged the team to let him spend the night at their office.
Team chairman Adnan Buyung Nasution told Anggodo, “You must be prepared to face questioning, as I heard you have chartered a plane to flee abroad.”
The team repeated demands that Anggodo be detained, while police maintained he was a witness, as long as they had yet to gather enough evidence against him. “We ask for clarification of Susno’s resignation,” Buyung said. Susno is scheduled to meet the team today [Friday].
Team member Komaruddin Hidayat said while Anggodo was implicated in alleged fabrication
efforts against the KPK deputies, as indicated in the recordings, “why are the police still slow in declaring him a suspect?”
Team members have expressed frustration that their demand to detain Anggodo was not met, while one member, Hikmahanto Juwana, tendered his resignation Thursday. “I think I’m no longer useful on the team,” the legal expert said.
Separately Ritonga said he resigned “to save the institution of the Attorney General’s Office”.
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