Legislators want SBY to compromise on fact-finding team's recommendations

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must compromise in following up on the recommendations of his fact-finding team that was initiated to resolve a controversial case surrounding the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), legislators say.

The team was established to probe into the facts in the recent tug-of-war between the KPK, the National Police and the Attorney Generals’ Office (AGO). The police and the AGO are confident they have a strong case against two KPK deputy chairmen, Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, claiming they received bribes.

The inquiry team, however, says the police investigations lack evidence, with missing links between key witnesses Ari Muladi, the alleged broker who “handed over” the money, and the chairmen. The missing link is a mysterious individual named Yulianto, who remains to be seen.

Because of the lack of evidence, the team initially recommended the case be dropped but will submit complete recommendations to the President on Monday. A number of anti-graft activists have urged Yudhoyono to obey the team’s recommendations, since he was the one who established it.

Legislators at the House of Representatives law commission, however, suggested the President should be very cautious in following up on the team’s recommendations.

“The public want the case dropped, because there is a missing link in Yulianto. On the other hand, the police and the AGO refuse to drop it in the name of justice,” Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Sunday.

“Therefore, I want to suggest the President make a combination of follow-up measures. For example, the President can give the police and the AGO three months to come up with missing evidence. If they fail to find it, the case should be dropped,” he said.

Separately, a legislator from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Bukhori Yusuf, said that legally speaking, the President had no obligation to follow the team’s recommendations.

“However, he will be morally burdened should he choose to ignore the recommendations,” Bukhori said.