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Police defiant in face of public outcry
Watchdogâs watchdogs: People from various civic organizations gather at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in a show of support after Bambang Widjojanto, one of four KPK deputy commissioners, was arrested by police Friday
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Watchdogâs watchdogs:: People from various civic organizations gather at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in a show of support after Bambang Widjojanto, one of four KPK deputy commissioners, was arrested by police Friday. Police accused Bambang of ordering a witness to give false testimony to the Constitutional Court in 2010 in a case he was litigating. (JP/Awo) (KPK) headquarters in a show of support after Bambang Widjojanto, one of four KPK deputy commissioners, was arrested by police Friday. Police accused Bambang of ordering a witness to give false testimony to the Constitutional Court in 2010 in a case he was litigating. (JP/Awo)
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span class="inline inline-center">Watchdog's watchdogs: People from various civic organizations gather at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in a show of support after Bambang Widjojanto, one of four KPK deputy commissioners, was arrested by police Friday. Police accused Bambang of ordering a witness to give false testimony to the Constitutional Court in 2010 in a case he was litigating. (JP/Awo)
Condemnation of National Police attacks on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) grew louder on Friday night after KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto was arrested for allegedly encouraging perjury in a local election dispute.
Police revealed on late Friday evening that Bambang would be detained.
Police officers armed with rifles arrested Bambang at 7:30 a.m. on Friday in Depok, West Java, as he was on his way home after dropping off his son at school.
The officers handcuffed Bambang and took him to National Police headquarters to question him about his alleged role in demanding a witness falsify testimony in the West Kotawaringin election dispute case in 2010.
Current regent Ujang Iskandar and his running mate Bambang Purwanto won their case at the Constitutional Court in 2010.
Hundreds of KPK supporters, including civil society groups, political observers, students, religious leaders and former KPK commissioners, flocked to the antigraft body's headquarters just one hour after the police announced Bambang's arrest at 10 a.m. on Friday, with many insisting that the move was an aggressive retaliation to the KPK's naming National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a suspect in a bribery case last week.
Ujang, for his part, said that Bambang had had nothing to do with the selection of Ratna Mutiara, the witness who was found guilty and served five months in jail for false testimony that contributed to Ujang's victory.
The protesters, meanwhile, became outraged after President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, during a press conference held at the state palace in Bogor later that day, failed to take a clear stance on resolving the tension between the police and the KPK.
'We from the civil society group strongly condemn the President's inaction. Jokowi, as President, must have the guts to release Bambang Widjojanto, rather than letting the criminalization of the KPK continue like this,' said migrant workers' rights activist Anis Hidayah, referring to Jokowi's statement that both Bambang and Budi's cases must proceed according to the existing regulations.
In his speech, Jokowi said the National Police and the KPK should avoid any friction as they carry out their respective investigations.
Jokowi made the remarks on Friday afternoon after he summoned KPK chief Abraham Samad and police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti to the Bogor Palace.
'As the head of state, I've asked the police and KPK institutions to ensure the existing legal proceedings are objective and in line with regulations,' Jokowi stated.
Badrodin, who is widely known as a close associate of Budi, said Bambang's arrest was not to avenge Budi, although the case was reported by Sugianto Sabran, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
A former adjutant to ex-president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also PDI-P chief, Budi was Jokowi's pick for the top police post.
Despite Badrodin's claim that Bambang would not be detained following his questioning, the KPK deputy was held overnight on Friday, with police declining to say when he would be released.
Former coordinator of antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) Danang Widoyoko said Jokowi was wrong to have issued such an equivocal statement.
'This incident cannot be separated from Jokowi's indecisiveness when he merely postponed Budi's inauguration so as to accommodate his political party's intention to name Budi police chief,' he said.
Also present at Friday's protest was Anita Wahid, the daughter of the late president Abdurrahman Wahid. Anita said that the criminalization of the KPK had been a recurring problem that successive governments had failed to address.
Anita cited the notorious contretemps between the police and the KPK known as the 'gecko vs crocodile' clash. At that time, the police attempted to withdraw their investigators from the antigraft body, a move that was seen as an effort to weaken the KPK following its decision to crack down on graft within the National Police, implicating a number of police generals.
Twitter hashtag #SaveKPK topped worldwide trending topics on Friday.
'This is why we need a Batman in this country, where we can't trust the police anymore,' tweeted account @mickmikov.
Another account, @PvanTuijl, tweeted 'If @jokowi_do2 does not support the KPK, Indonesia will be at risk of social unrest.'
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KPK vs Police conflicts
July 2013
Samad chairs first expose of Insp. Gen. Budi Gunawan's suspicious transactions.
Mid 2014
KPK begins investigation into Budi's transactions.
Jan. 9 2015
Jokowi sends a letter on Comr. Gen. Budi's nomination as National Police chief to the House of Representatives.
Jan. 13
KPK declares Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect.
Jan. 15
- The House of Representatives' plenary session endorses Budi's appointment.
- PDI-P legislator Sugianto Sabran reports KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto was to the police for false testimony in a local election dispute in Kotawaringin.
Jan .23
7:30 a.m. Police arrest Bambang near his Depok residence.
9 a.m. Acting National Police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti denies Bambang's arrest.
11 a.m. National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie announces Bambang's arrest in a fake testimony case.
2 p.m. The Civil Society Coalition gathers at the KPK to protest against the police.
3 p.m. Jokowi tells the police and the KPK to avoid 'friction'.
4:30 p.m. KPK strongly protests Bambang's arrest.
-JP/SWI
