Justice is dead: Protesting university students display masks Monday in Jakarta, depicting the faces of senior police officers and prosecutors they claim are “under the command” of Anggodo Widjojo (pictured smoking a cigar), the businessman at the center of a scandal that has seen the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) pitted against the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. In their protest, the students lamented the death of justice. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has returned the dossier of Chandra M. Hamzah, one of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspended deputies, to the police to be revised and completed due to lack of sufficient evidence.
The announcement was made at midnight after the presidential fact-finding team submitted its preliminary report to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, advising him to drop the case against two antigraft deputies because of insufficient evidence.
"We decided to return the dossier to the police so that it can be completed," AGO spokesman Didiek Darmanto said.
The dossier of the other KPK suspended deputy Bibit Samad Rianto was still under review by the AGO.
Earlier Monday, team leader Adnan Buyung Nasution said the team's interim report had been submitted to Yudhoyono through Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto.
He said the charges of extortion, bribery and abuse of power against Bibit and Chandra were backed by very little evidence.
“The police just don't have enough evidence to continue with the case," Buyung said. "We hope what we've concluded here tonight will be heeded by the President.”
The evidence in the extortion and bribery charges, he went on, only showed there had been a flow of money from graft fugitive Anggoro Widjojo and his brother Anggodo Widjojo to alleged middleman Ari Muladi, while there was no evidence the money was then transferred to the two KPK deputies.
As for the abuse of power, Buyung said, the police had pressed the case too far without evidence, while invoking irrelevant articles.
Chandra had been accused of signing a warrant to raid Anggoro’s office and imposing a travel ban on the businessman without first discussing it with other KPK leaders.
“It's a normal procedure that's been done before by previous KPK leaders,” Buyung pointed out.
Hours after receiving the report, Djoko Suyanto held a meeting with National Police chief Gen.
Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji at his office in Jakarta late in the evening.
After the hour-long discussion, all three met with Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace without saying anything to reporters.
Hendarman said at a hearing with the House of Representatives' commission on legal affairs earlier in the day that the dossier submitted by police had strong evidence.
Hendarman continued to defend Anggoro, saying he was a victim of extortion rather than a graft suspect, although the KPK declared him a suspect last year.
“Although Ari Muladi recanted his initial testimony in which he testified that Chandra and Bibit had taken the bribe, we can continue with the case as we have supporting facts that his first testimony was in fact the truth,” he said.
Asked about the chance of the AGO ignoring the fact-finding team's recommendation, Buyung said there was another move in store.
“Of course we can't reveal it now," he said. "We have to wait and see.”
The commission expressed its objection to the team's interim report, saying the team had damaged the independence of law enforcement agencies.
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