C

orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) member Busyro Muqoddas said that KPK chief Abraham Samad was spreading a “cheap” rumor when he said there was a plot to topple him as the agency’s leader.

“This is a cheap issue. There is no need to comment. It is just a waste of time,” Busyro told reporters on Thursday.

Busyro’s statement has fueled rumors of rumbling discontent among KPK leaders after a leak that has been linked to the crisis in the Democratic Party.

Abraham has been accused of leaking the document naming Anas Urbaningrum a corruption suspect in the Hambalang case.

The leak occurred on the day Yudhoyono assumed most of Anas’ authority and ordered him to focus on his legal problems.

At the time, Anas had not been officially charged with anything.

Anas was facing pressure to step down as party chairman after numerous graft accusations which his rivals said had besmirched the party’s image and caused its popularity to plummet.

The KPK’s decision to charge Anas paved the way for Anas’ rivals, including Yudhoyono, to oust him.

He resigned the day after he was named a suspect.

The commission has set up an ethics panel to investigate the leak which has put its credibility at risk.

The panel has questioned all KPK commissioners except Bambang Widjojanto, who is on the panel and considered to have a conflict of interest.

Anies Baswedan, chair of the panel, has said that indications were that a KPK commissioner was to blame for the leak and could be guilty of a breach of ethics, but refused to name names as the panel was still working.

Abraham told reporters via text message that the leak had been politicized by those who seek the end of his reign as KPK czar.

“The leak is part of a scenario to remove me from the KPK and silence me. This is because I have been blunt and courageous in resolving major corruption cases,” Abraham said.

KPK spokesperson Johan Budi confirmed that the KPK leaders have “differences of opinion”, but dismissed rumors of a split.

Rumors of internal rift in the KPK leadership started long before Abraham’s statement.

The commissioners were reportedly at odds over whether they should charge Anas at all.

The leaked document, a draft letter ordering a full-blown investigation, was signed only by Abraham, Zulkarnaen and Adnan Pandu Praja, who later claimed to have signed by mistake.

Bambang and Busyro reportedly refused to sign the letter, saying they needed to collect more evidence to build a stronger case.

Abraham, however, insisted that the investigators had already found ample evidence to charge him.

Johan said that KPK officials were concerned by the rumors of infighting.

“I am concerned about the current situation. And it is not only me, but also most of the staff,” he said.

“We are not used to being the target of defamation.”

The ethics panel is expected to announce the results of its inquiry next week.

Antigraft activists have called on the KPK leaders to avoid controversial statements before the panel completes its inquiry.

They also demand that the KPK remain independent and free from political influence.