Contradictory police remarks on Gayus case questioned

An antigraft group and a police watchdog questioned the National Police’s contradictory statements regarding its investigation into alleged case brokering practices implicating top officers and fugitive former tax official and graft suspect Gayus Tambunan.  

They said this could be seen as an indication that the police lacked the will to conduct a transparent and fair investigation into the scandal.

“We view the police commitment to settling this case as shaky. The misleading statements they have frequently issued are clear indications of this,” Febri Diansyah of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said Saturday.

After the case brokering scandal broke out, police have issued several statements that they later denied or were proven to be misleading after being confirmed by third parties.  

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang, for example, said Friday that police had spoken to members of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) requesting assistance in the investigation of Andi Kosasih, an alleged accomplice of Gayus.

Kompolnas member Adnan Pandu Praja, however, told the Post that he knew nothing of the investigation. “From the very beginning, no one has invited us to discussions about how to handle this case,” he said.

Earlier this week, police also made remarks regarding the status of former chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who was reported to the police by Brig. Gen. Raja Erizman and Brig. Gen. Edmond Ilyas. Susno had earlier implied that the two men took bribes from Gayus.

The police said Tuesday that Susno had already been named a suspect pertaining to Edmond’s and Raja’s report. However, they later denied saying this, instead blaming journalists for distorting their statement. Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistyo Ishak reiterated on Friday that police had not named Susno a suspect in case.

Johnson Pandjaitan of Indonesian Police Watch concurred with Febri, saying that police should involve the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the investigation to ensure fairness and impartiality.