Bambang Widjojanto - JP/P.J. Leo

Former Corruption Eradication Commission'€™s (KPK) deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto barely escaped detention on Thursday after being questioned by National Police investigators in connection to a perjury case, in contravention of newly inaugurated National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti'€™s pledge to mend ties with the antigraft body.

Early Thursday, police investigators handling the case appeared determined to detain Bambang as indicated by the presence of two police vans on standby to transport Bambang to the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.

But after emerging from the interrogation room, special and economic crimes director Brig. Gen. Victor Edi Simanjuntak said investigators had decided not to detain Bambang after four hours of questioning, saying that Bambang had been cooperative throughout.

'€œWe have decided not to detain him yet because he was cooperative and gave us the statements we needed,'€ he told reporters.

Victor'€™s announcement contradicted an earlier statement by Sr. Comr. Daniel Bolly Tifaona, an officer in charge of the investigation, who said that Bambang would be detained in Depok.

Although the investigators did not detain Bambang, Victor said his case dossier had been completed and would be handed over to the Attorney General'€™s Office [AGO] immediately.

Bambang was questioned on Thursday, a day after the inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as the deputy National Police chief.

He was arrested in January for allegedly encouraging perjury in 2010 in the West Kotawaringin, Central Sulawesi, election dispute. He was released following an eight-hour interrogation and public outrage against the persecution of the KPK.

Bambang'€™s arrest remained controversial as it followed shortly after the antigraft body named Budi, then the sole candidate for the National Police chief position, a graft suspect.

A former colleague of Bambang at the KPK, Abraham Samad, has also been declared a suspect in a document forgery case and is being investigated by the South and West Sulawesi police.

After his questioning session, Bambang declined to comment.

His lawyer Abdul Fikar Hajar said investigators had in fact issued an arrest warrant and wanted Bambang to sign it. '€œOur client refused to sign it and instead wrote down five objections on another piece of paper to be submitted to the police,'€ he said.

Abdul said the investigators relented and allowed Bambang to walk out of the interrogation room.

'€œHowever, just as he was about to finish, the investigators told Pak BW [Bambang] that he would not be detained and said that the police chief, deputy police chief and detective chief all expressed their gratitude for his cooperation.'€

Abdul said the investigators did not explain the sudden change of heart.

During his inauguration last week, Badrodin said one of his goals during his tenure would be to mend ties between the police force and the KPK, which deteriorated following the latter'€™s decision to name Budi a suspect.

The relations have barely improved since the South Jakarta District Court ordered the KPK to annul Budi'€™s suspect status and the antigraft body was forced to hand over his case to the Attorney General, who subsequently transferred it to the police force.

On Wednesday, Budi was inaugurated as deputy police chief even though his case had not been officially dropped. Badrodin said Budi'€™s '€œperspectives and extensive connections'€ could help him in developing the force.

While Bambang was being questioned, acting KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki called Badrodin on the phone for confirmation on whether detention was in line for the former KPK commissioner.

In the telephone conversation, Badrodin told Ruki that Bambang would not be detained.

KPK deputy chairman Johan Budi said, however, that Ruki would not interfere in Bambang'€™s case.

Johan declined to confirm reports claiming that Ruki had asked Badrodin to drop Victor'€™s plan to incarcerate Bambang after questioning.

He said the KPK leadership was shocked after hearing rumors that Bambang would be detained.

'€œWe were about to leave for the National Police headquarters [to appeal for Bambang'€™s release], but before we left Pak Ruki called Pak Badrodin, who said that Bambang would not be detained,'€ he said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) deputy coordinator Agus Sunaryanto said that now that Budi was on his side, it would be difficult for Badrodin to uphold his commitment to improve ties with the KPK.

'€œWe applaud Badrodin'€™s intention, but it would be very difficult to achieve it now that Budi is at his side. He [Budi] has tremendous influence inside and outside the force.'€

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