Ferry said the support was based on the fact that the police investigation had been sluggish as investigators could only come up with a sketch of one of the alleged perpetrators 116 days after the attack.

"There must be power to surpass the institution's. In Novel's case, there must be an independent fact-finding team directly endorsed by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo," he told a discussion in Jakarta.

Read also: Doctor tells Novel to avoid interviews

Ferry said an independent team could help accelerate the investigation, as well as help reveal the identities of the assailants, the mastermind and their motivation. "We want the mystery to be revealed."

Activists have called on the government to create a fact-finding team for the case on the basis of a suspicion that political interests were involved and Novel's statement suggesting the involvement of a high-ranking police officer.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has acknowledged there are mounting public concerns about the police's impartiality in the investigation. Yet, he rejected the proposal to establish an independent fact-finding team.

Instead, Tito proposed a joint investigation team with the KPK. The antigraft body has brushed off the idea, saying its investigators were not authorized to probe general crimes.

Novel’s eyes were seriously damaged after he was attacked by two unidentified people who threw acid on his face on April 11. (yon/bbs)

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