"Of course there was no [intervention]. Law enforcement is not the police chief's business," he told reporters on Friday at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

"I'm the only one who has a say as the detective division chief, but of course the investigators get to make their own decisions based on their judgment."

Bambang, who was accused of encouraging perjury in his capacity as a lawyer in 2010, was released on Thursday after a four-hour interrogation.

The release contradicted an earlier statement made by several investigators that Bambang would be detained at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Depok, West Java, because he was uncooperative.

Acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi claimed on Thursday that when news broke of Bambang's possible detention, fellow acting commissioner Taufiequrachman Ruki called Badrodin to confirm the news. However, he denied that Ruki's act was a form of intervention.

In an article published by Kompas on Friday, Badrodin said he told Budi not to detain Bambang because it was still "unnecessary".(+++)

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