It is baffling that he has not been fired after a slew of scandals that have severely tarnished the KPK’s image as a graft buster. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo can no longer pretend that Firli’s leadership at the KPK is not problematic. The President must use his power, as stipulated by the law, to remove Firli from his post, or risk being remembered for turning a blind eye or even being complicit in his shenanigans. 

As both the KPK deputy and its chairman, Firli has several times been found guilty of serious breaches of the code of ethics. His resilience throughout these scandals, however, by no means indicates he is a Teflon official with wide (and blind) public support. He is far from popular, and the fact that he was able to reach the KPK post indicates the reach of his influence within the political establishment.

The latest controversy involving Firli, in which he was accused of extorting a high-profile corruption suspect, should be enough to warrant his immediate suspension, allowing the KPK’s ethics council to verify the allegation.

As KPK chief, Firli oversaw the graft investigations conducted by his men, including a corruption case at the Agriculture Ministry, which was until recently led by NasDem Party politician Syahrul Yasin Limpo. Syahrul, who was charged with graft in the case on Wednesday, claimed to have been extorted by a KPK commissioner.

While he refused to identify the KPK leader, pictures purportedly showing Firli and Syahrul in a private meeting on a badminton court have circulated among journalists. It remains to be seen if the photo has the potential to be incriminating for Firli, unless it is proven the picture was taken at a time when the anti-graft body was investigating the former minister for alleged corruption.

Syahrul filed an extortion report last week with the Jakarta police, which then decided to launch a full-blown investigation into his claims. No suspect has been named in the extortion case.

This is not the first time that a KPK commissioner has been accused of extortion. Two former KPK commissioners, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Marta Hamzah, faced similar allegations, but there was no solid evidence to bring them to justice. Back then the KPK and the police were embroiled in a different conflict.

In Firli’s case, the evidence is clear that, at the very least, there was a serious ethics breach.

At this point, there is no indication to suggest that the KPK’s case against Syahrul is weak, given the strong preliminary evidence shown by the investigators. However, we need to highlight the fact that this is a highly sensitive case because Syahrul comes from a political party that has chosen to challenge the regime by nominating an opposition figure, Anies Baswedan, as its presidential candidate.

Syahrul is also the second NasDem minister to have been mired in a graft case in the last few months. It is only natural for the public to question whether KPK cases are nothing but political witch-hunts started by the political powers that control the law enforcement bodies, including the KPK. At the very least, people are questioning the timing.

To quash any doubts about the nature of the KPK’s prosecution of Syahrul, it must distance itself from any scandals that could put its credibility into question, particularly the allegation that Firli extorted the NasDem politician. That is an extremely serious allegation that could compromise the integrity of the graft investigation. 

Keeping Firli as KPK chief is no longer tenable. He must go now.