Court denies dispute with National Police

Constitutional Court Chief Mahfud MD denied Wednesday any dispute between the court judges and the National Police following last week’s revelation of a tape recording of an alleged plot to frame anticorruption commission leaders.

The National Police withdrew security personnel from the court a day later, sparking speculation of retaliation by the police force.

Mahfud said, however, the withdrawal was an ordinary tour of duty and that the police had notified him and the general secretary of the court beforehand.

“The withdrawal has nothing to do with the presentation of the recording. The police respect all legal proceedings at the court,” Mahfud told a press conference.

He added that the police had prepared replacements, who started working on Wednesday.

In the recording, the police and the officials from the Attorney General’s Office were said to be helping a businessman fabricate evidence to implicate Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto. (ewd)