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KPK rejects Bambang's resignation proposal
After hours of deliberation on Monday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders unanimously agreed to reject a resignation proposal for a temporary suspension submitted by its commissioner Bambang Widjojanto, who was named by the National Police a criminal suspect on Friday
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fter hours of deliberation on Monday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders unanimously agreed to reject a resignation proposal for a temporary suspension submitted by its commissioner Bambang Widjojanto, who was named by the National Police a criminal suspect on Friday.
KPK deputy for prevention unit Johan Budi said that the rejection was driven by the KPK leaders' belief that the criminal case against Bambang was highly manipulated and was marred with irregularities.
Johan said that the ball was now in the hand of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo whether he agreed with the KPK leaders' stance, which was highly unlikely, or to go ahead issuing a presidential regulation on Bambang's temporary suspension as mandated by Article 32 of Law No. 30/2002 on KPK which regulates the suspension of KPK commissioner facing criminal charges.
'As of this minute, we have not received any information on the President's stance regarding KPK leaders' decision on pak Bambang. It's all up to President Jokowi whether to issue presidential regulation [or not],' Johan said at the KPK headquarters on Monday night.
The National Police made a controversial move by arresting Bambang and brought him to their headquarters for questioning on Friday without even declaring him a suspect in the first place.
Unlike the KPK, which studies a corruption report for months before declaring someone a suspect, it only took four days for the Police to process a criminal report, filed by Jokowi's Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Suginto Sabran, against Bambang before arresting and telling him on Friday that he had been named a suspect.
Bambang was arrested by the police for allegedly encouraging perjury in a local election dispute in 2010 in his capacity as a former lawyer, while on Saturday another KPK commissioner Adnan Pandu Praja was reported to the police for illegally taking over the shares of a logging company, PT Desy Timber, in Berau, East Kalimantan.
On Monday, the National Police disclosed that they had received a police report against KPK chairman Abraham Samad, while a sympathizer of pro-government Nasdem Party, which is PDI-P's ally, identified as Fathorrasjid reportedly expressed on Monday his willingness to file a report against KPK commissioner Zulkarnain for allegedly tampering with a graft case while he served as East Java's chief prosecutor in 2009.
If the National Police later process reports on Zulkarnain and Abraham as well as Adnan and declare them as suspects, then, the antigraft body would face complete paralysis as its internal regulation says that commissioners facing criminal charges would automatically be temporarily suspended by the President. (nvn)
