H

ats off to the outgoing Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership, which only at the end of its term delivered on its long-held promise to capture Nunun Nurbaeti, a fugitive in the bribery case relating to the election of Miranda S. Goeltom as Bank Indonesia’s senior deputy governor in 2004.

But it is too early to predict the endgame of this high-profile case, which has already sent 33 politicians from various political parties to jail.

Not only will the KPK, which will complete its change of guard on Dec. 17, face difficulties in finding solid evidence connecting Nunun to those people behind the bribery, the graft fighters will also have to deal with political pressure aiming to keep the masterminds off-the-hook.

The KPK can learn from the investigation into such a big case like the murder of rights activist Munir Said Thalib, which after more than seven years remains impenetrable to all attempts to uncover the mastermind because of alleged links to the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

The fact that it took the KPK more than a year to arrest Nunun has given the impression that political interests are at play in the case, quite apart from the fact that Nunun is the wife of House of Representatives’ lawmaker Adang
Daradjatun — from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) — who, moreover, is a former National Police deputy chief.

An unnamed KPK leader told Kompas the top-secret operation to arrest Nunun in Bangkok last week was planned without involving government officials because a previous mission to Singapore had failed after certain people at the Indonesian Embassy leaked the plan.

Nunun had moved from one country to another while on the run, presumably with help from people who did not want law enforcers to arrest her, or perhaps from those who had arranged for her arrest to come at the right time. We cannot turn a deaf ear to accusations that the Nunun case will be aimed at holding hostage those political parties that recently voted for little-known Abraham Samad as the new KPK leader, wishing to push for an investigation into the controversial Bank Century bailout.

Law enforcement in the country, in particular the fight against corruption, is seen by many as politically motivated, making it therefore vulnerable to political intervention.

The KPK needs to prove the allegations are wrong and its independence is intact by precipitating the legal process against Nunun and anyone who helped her to obstruct justice.

The public is already fed up with the half-hearted fight against graft, which has so far only managed to catch small fry, leaving the big fish at large.