KPK to use financial ‘weapon’

Paper Edition | Page: 1

Bambang Widjojanto: Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it plans to use data about the bank accounts of the senior police officers implicated in a procurement scandal as part of its investigation, sending a clear message to the generals at National Police headquarters that the commission has knowledge about the personal wealth of other high-ranking police officers.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto revealed the plan, which will focus the investigation upon the state officials’ wealth disclosure forms (LHKPN), to reporters at his office on Thursday. The law requires state officials, including police and military officers, to report their wealth before, during and after carrying out their state duties.

“Next week, we will launch an operation related to the LHKPN. This will be interesting, because we will be using a different approach,” Bambang said, without disclosing further details about the operation.

Earlier this month, Muhammad Yusuf, the head of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), confirmed that he had handed the results of a PPATK investigation into the bank accounts of those implicated in the graft case to the KPK.

“There were suspicious cash flows worth more than Rp 10 billion [US$1.06 million] in a bank account belonging to one of the suspects in the case,” Yusuf said.

The law mandates the KPK to prosecute cases of corruption of state funds, but in the case of alleged corruption surrounding the Rp 200 billion procurement of driving simulators for the National Traffic Police Corps headquarters, the police have insisted on investigating the case themselves, refusing to hand it over to the KPK. There is concern among the public at large, however, that the police will not follow up the case at the highest levels at police headquarters.

The commission named former National Traffic Police Corps chief, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a suspect on Aug. 1, after previously naming the National Traffic Police Corps deputy chief, Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo; the director of PT Inovasi Teknologi Indonesia, Sukotjo S. Bambang; and the director of PT Cipta Mandiri Metalindo Abadi, Budi Santoso, as suspects for their involvement in the procurement of simulators.

According to Bambang, the commission is scheduled to summon Djoko next week. However, the commission has not yet sent a summons to the former traffic corps chief.

Another KPK deputy chairman, Zulkarnain, said the KPK did not need to obtain permission from the National Police chief to summon his officers.

“We will send a formal letter of intent to the police chief. [We will] not be asking for permission,” Zulkarnain said.

KPK chief Abraham Samad recently told Antara news agency that the commission could use force to question the suspects if they declined to appear after being summoned three times.

He added that coordination with the National Police was still ongoing regarding the investigation of this case.

Separately, the National Police spokesman announced on Thursday that Djoko was scheduled to be questioned as a witness at the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim) on Friday.

The National Police, like the KPK, have named four suspects in this case, three of whom are the same as those announced by the commission, namely Didik, Budi Santoso and Sukotjo. However, police are currently only naming Djoko a witness. (cor/nad)