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Budi's inauguration invalid, says anti-corruption activists
Anti-corruption activists in Yogyakarta said on Thursday the inauguration of Comr
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nti-corruption activists in Yogyakarta said on Thursday the inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as deputy National Police chief violated a presidential regulation as it was conducted without the properly informed consent of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
Wazingatu Zakiyah, an activist with the Indonesian Women's Anti-corruption Movement, said according to Article 57 (1) of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 52/2010 on National Police organizational structure and work orders, the inauguration and dismissal of police officers from echelon IA and IB were decided by the National Police chief after consulting with the President.
In fact, she said, the National Police determined Budi's inauguration as police deputy chief internally, without first consulting with President Jokowi, who seemed to have been busy handling Asian-African Conference-related matters.
'The consultation ought not to be conducted only verbally. There should be a written document detailing the National Police chief's request to consult with the President about the deputy chief's inauguration,' said Zakiyah in a press conference at the Countercorruption Study Center (PUKAT) at Gadjah Mada University on Thursday.
National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti inaugurated Budi as his deputy chief in secrecy and out of the public spotlight in a ceremony at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
PUKAT researcher Hifdzil Alim said Budi's inauguration as deputy National Police chief was problematic because he still had the status of a graft suspect as determined by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
South Jakarta District Court judge Sarpin Rizaldi decided in March in favor of Budi in a pretrial hearing he requested to contest the KPK's actions.
Hifdzil said, however, that Sarpin only decided that the KPK did not have the authority to handle Budi's corruption case and he did not dismiss the core of his alleged graft case.
He further said Budi's inauguration as National Police deputy chief violated Law No.2/2002 on National Police and Law No.5/2014 on Civil Servants.
'Up until now, the National Police have never issued a letter of order to stop any investigations, which means Budi is still a graft suspect,' said Hifdzil. (ebf)(+++)
