T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it will go ahead with its investigation into the graft case in the procurement of driving simulators involving senior National Police officers.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Saturday that while waiting for a new agreement between leaders of the anti-graft body and the National Police, investigations would continue with the case.

Johan said officials from the two institutions had met twice to discuss how best to approach the case, but no consensus had been made so far.

“We will go ahead with our investigation. The KPK and the National Police have yet to come up with a plan of how to work together, both need to meet again to discuss the definition of joint investigation of the simulator graft case that we have already discussed,” Johan said.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad and National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo agreed that the two institutions would have a joint investigation on Aug. 1, into the
Rp 200 billion (US$21.2 million) procurement at the National Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas) headquarters.

In spite of the agreement, the KPK and the National Police are locked in a struggle which one has the most authority to investigate the case.

The National Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (Bakreskrim) launched its own investigation into the scandal shortly after the KPK launched its probe.

Bareskrim has named four officers, including Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, the former Korlantas chief who had been named suspect by the KPK, and three others — National Police Traffic Corps deputy chief Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo, Adj. Sr. Comr. Teddy Rusmawan, the head of the procurement project and Traffic Corps treasurer Comr. Legimo.

It has also detained the four suspects at the National Police Mobile Brigade detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.

Johan said the biggest problem with the KPK investigation was the fact the suspects in police detention should have been questioned by the KPK. For the time being, the KPK would work on the dossier on Djoko.

He said the KPK investigators had so far questioned 15 individuals outside of the National Police, including Bambang Sukotjo, the president director of PT Inovasi Teknologi who was already convicted in the case.

“We have intentionally not disclosed much about the progress of our probe,” said Johan.

The KPK also requested the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to look for suspicious transactions involving bank accounts of those implicated in the graft case.

Head of the PPATK Muhammad Yusuf said on Friday he had already handed the result of PPATK’s investigations into the individuals’ accounts to the KPK.

“There was a suspicious cash flow worth more than Rp 10 billion ($1.06 million) to one bank account belonging to one of the suspects in the case,” Yusuf said.

Yusuf also said the National Police could have become aware of possible irregularities in the driving simulators project by requesting the same analysis of a number of their officers in 2011. “But, the request of the National Police chief was to investigate another person’s bank account,” he said after visiting the KPK chairman.

Timur said on Friday that his institution would support the KPK in solving the case.

Indonesian Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane said the National Police should just hand over the case to the KPK. “No law allows the two institutions to conduct a joint investigation,” Neta said.

Neta also urged the KPK to press ahead with its probe.

“Besides, the public does not trust the police any more because of its dismal performance so far,” he said. (cor)