Police flex muscles as general denies everything

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National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo gathered former generals together on Monday in an attempt to show unity in the midst of the standoff with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over the handling of the graft case involving a police general, surrounding the procurement of driving simulators.

Among former National Police chiefs at the meeting were Gen. (ret) Bambang Hendarso Danuri, former National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. (ret) Makbul Padmanegara and former National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. (ret) Adang Daradjatun.

Speaking after the meeting at the Indonesian Institute for Police Science (PTIK), deputy National Police chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said that the police were committed to resolving the graft scandal.

Nanan also denied accusations that he was involved in the scandal, receiving cash from the graft while serving as chief of the National Police General Supervision Inspectorate (Irwasum).

“Our principle is transparency and accountability. Let us prove who gave the money to me, when and where,” he told reporters.

President director of PT Inovasi Teknologi Bambang Sukotjo, who was convicted in the driving simulators graft case, claimed that a number of high-ranking police officers, including Nanan, received bribes from the tender’s winner, PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi.

Contradicting his client, Bambang’s lawyer, Erick Samuel Paat said that his client had distributed a large amount of cash, not only to Djoko, but to other police officers in cooperatives within the Police
Traffic Corps.

“My client sent Rp 7 billion [US$742,000] and Rp 8 billion to the Police Traffic Corps cooperatives in January at the request of Budi Su-santo [PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi president director]. My client also said that he had given money to police officers visiting his office [in Bandung],” he told The Jakarta Post, declining to elaborate on the details.

Erick said that none of the money was set aside for Nanan.

“My client never said that — not during the trial, nor to me,” he said.

Separately on Monday, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, the former Police Traffic Corps chief named a suspect by the KPK last week, arrived at the National Police headquarters accompanied by his lawyers, Hotma Sitompul and Juniver Girsang.

The lawyers said that Djoko came to have a meeting with National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman.

Djoko, who allegedly accepted Rp 2 billion ($212,000) in kickbacks to grant the Rp 198.7 billion project to PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi — which later subcontracted it to PT Inovasi Teknologi Indonesia — arrived at the legal division building at around 9 a.m. but was not seen leaving the building when the other attendees left.

Juniver said that the meeting had discussed, among other things, whether the antigraft body had confiscated documents not directly relevant to the case.

“For example, the KPK confiscated documents containing driving license data. This might disrupt public services,” he said.

Bambang Maryanto contributed to this report from Yogyakarta