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Jokowi to consider ordering prosecutors to stop investigating Bambang Widjojanto
Bambang Widjojanto (tempo
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Bambang Widjojanto (tempo.co) (tempo.co)
Bambang Widjojanto (tempo.co)
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has said that he will consider instructing the prosecutors to stop investigating the suspended commissioner of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), who was accused of demanding a witness to falsify testimony in a regional election dispute case in 2010 in Central Kalimantan.
'I will seriously consider it,' said Jokowi in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on Saturday in his response to a call made by a number of legal scholars to stop the investigation against Bambang. The scholars believe that there were no strong grounds to continue the case.
The National Police handed Bambang's case dossier to the Attorney General's Office (AGO), last month. Attorney General M. Prasetyo said on Friday that his office (AGO) would continue prosecuting Bambang for perjury. Prasetyo said that the AGO could not simply drop Bambang's case.
Tempo.co reported that dozens of scholars from various disciplines concluded that the police had no adequate evidence to continue with Bambang's case. The scholars also said that the police had violated existing regulations both when they listed Bambang a suspect, and when they carried out the investigation.
The scholars from a number of universities expressed their wish to meet with the President in order to give him an academic paper they had compiled in connection with Bambang's case. Bivintri Susanto, of the Indonesia Jentera School of Law, said that by Friday, there were 70 signatures to the academic paper.
Bambang was arrested in January when he was on his way home after dropping off his son at school. In the Kotawaringin election dispute case, the police accused Bambang of violating Article 242 of the Criminal Code by allegedly ordering a witness to present false testimony.
The arrest came after the KPK named police candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a suspect in a bribery case. The South Jakarta District Court later annulled Budi's suspect status. Budi now is the National Police deputy chief. (bbn)
