House bans Bibit, Chandra from its hearings

The House of Representatives’ legal commission decided Monday to bar two Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chiefs, Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M. Hamzah, from ever attending House hearings again.

House Commission III overseeing legal and security affairs deputy Tjatur Sapto Edy said commission members had voted on the issue.

Tjatur said 40 percent of the commission’s members had no problem with Bibit and Chandra continuing to attend House hearings while they remained suspects in an extortion and bribery case, while the remaining commission members were definitely against allowing them to be present.

“We argued for a long time and because no agreement could be reached we decided to vote. And that was the result,” Tjatur said after the Commission III’s meeting to determine Bibit and Chandra’s fate.

“Some thought there would be an ethics issue if someone suspected of extortion and bribery attended commission meetings and helped to make decisions,” he said.