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senior Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician has criticized the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for its recent raid on the offices of several House of Representatives members implicated in a bribery case following the arrest of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle'€™s (PDI-P) politician Damayanti Wisnu Putranti.

Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of House Commission I overseeing defense, said KPK investigators had overstepped their authority while conducting a search to look for evidence earlier this week at three offices inside the House complex in Central Jakarta.

'€œHow can you justify KPK investigators storming the House complex accompanied by a security detail armed with assault rifles, when not even their superiors do that?'€ Mahfudz said on Saturday. '€œWhat are they doing, going after terrorists?'€

A quarrel broke out on Friday between KPK investigators and House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah and lawmaker M. Nasir Djamil, also members of the PKS, who tried to block the investigator'€™s access to the office of fellow PKS lawmaker Yudi Widiana.

Fahri denied the investigators entry, lashing out at them for bringing in members of the police'€™s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) to help with the search. Fahri eventually relented and left KPK officials to continue their search.

Speaking on Saturday, Mahfudz said investigators had violated the rights of Yudi and Golkar Party lawmaker Budi Supriyanto, when they sealed off their offices.

He said that the two lawmakers had no clear connection to Damayanti.

Mahfudz said the search warrant only specified that investigators could raid the offices of Damayanti and '€œothers'€.

'€œIt is uncalled for that a search warrant only addressed '€˜Damayanti and friends'€™. Which Damayanti? What if she has many friends? This line of questioning can go on and on,'€ he said.

In addition, Mahfudz said that the search warrant had errors that could have legal consequences, including the use of date '€œJakarta 15, 2016'€.

The KPK named Damayanti, who is a member of House Commission V overseeing infrastructure, a suspect on Thursday for accepting bribes from a group of businessmen, saying that she had been caught red-handed enacting the transaction the previous evening.

PT Windhu Tunggal Utama (WTU) CEO, Abdul Choir, who was also arrested during the sting operation, allegedly handed over S$33,000 (US$22,900), intended for Damayanti and her two accomplices as a '€œcommitment fee'€ to secure a construction project in Maluku earmarked for the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry for this fiscal year. The money is reportedly part of a total S$404,000 promised by Choir.

Yudi and Budi are also members of Commission V.

The KPK said it had briefed the House leadership regarding the search.

Acting KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Andriati said the investigation would go on in spite of the lawmakers protest. '€œThe KPK are fully focused on the case,'€ she said, refusing to elaborate on the matter.

Responding to the alleged procedural violation, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said that the police only gave assistance to the KPK during the raid.

'€œIf the KPK deems it unnecessary to carry firearms, then they don'€™t. If they feel the need, then they can,'€ Badrodin said at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Saturday.

The police chief said it was normal for the KPK to ask for assistance from the police force.

Badrodin declined to take the blame for the decision to bring firearms during the raid. '€œThey are free to question the standard operational procedures of the KPK; don'€™t put the blame on Brimob,'€ he said.
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