T

he new National Police detective division chief, Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar, has pledged to continue investigating the graft case involving state port operator Pelindo II. There has been widespread speculation that the force would drop the probe due to political pressure that many have said was the reason behind the replacement of Anang'€™s predecessor Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso.

Anang said on Saturday that his leadership style might be different from Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, who is known for his controversial statements, but he was bound by the law to finish any ongoing investigation.

'€œI have not yet been inaugurated as detective division chief but as far as I'€™m concerned, a case that has reached the secondary investigation and already has a suspect should theoretically continue,'€ he said.

The former National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief will replace Budi as the new National Police detective division chief following the issuance of a Presidential Decree and a classified police force telegram that said the two men would swap positions starting next Monday.

The dismissal of Budi came hot on the heels of a raid conducted at the Pelindo II headquarters in Tanjung Priok last week.

The raid compelled Vice President Jusuf Kalla, then on a visit to South Korea, to call Budi and demand the probe be dropped. Kalla confirmed on Thursday that he had called Budi to tell him that the police should not make a criminal case from policies taken by state company executives, as doing so could harm the economy.

However, even after news of his replacement broke on Friday, Budi insisted that there was strong evidence of graft in Pelindo II'€™s 2013 procurement of fixed crane-type loading and unloading equipment.

Currently, the National Police have named one suspect in the case: Pelindo II'€™s operational and technical director Ferialdy Nurlan.

Although Anang said that the investigation into the Pelindo II case would continue, he could not give a timeframe as to when the case would reach court.

'€œIt really depends on how much time the investigators need. When investigators wrap up their probe is dependent on the case'€ Anang said.

Meanwhile, Bambang Soesatyo of the House of Representatives'€™ Commission III overseeing legal affairs said on Saturday that the commission would establish a special committee to monitor the investigation into the Pelindo II case with the help of the House'€™s other Commissions.

'€œWe will set up a special committee to investigate the possibility of foul play in the Pelindo II case,'€ he said.

Bambang emphasized the urgency of establishing such a committee because Budi'€™s sudden dismissal indicated that several individuals felt threatened by the probe.

Although Bambang assured Anang that the House did not doubt his leadership abilities, the Golkar Party lawmaker said that Anang must be resolute in prosecuting the Pelindo II case.

Commission III is also planning on summoning National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti next week for clarification on Budi'€™s sudden removal.

Separately, National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member M. Nasser also urged Anang to press ahead with the Pelindo II probe to prove the police force was an independent body that was free from external pressure.

'€œOnly 18 hours after Pelindo II'€™s president director [RJ Lino] made the phone call, the detective division chief was removed. If a high-ranking general can be sacked through one phone call then what will happen to the senior commissioner and adjunct senior commissioner at the police precincts? This is a disaster for the police force,'€ Nasser said.