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Anies' confidante acting as Prabowo’s lawyer sparks criticism
The involvement of a former commissioner of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Bambang Widjojanto, in the legal team assembled by losing presidential and vice-presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno to appeal the election results has raised questions over conflicts of interest in the governor’s circle.
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Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto’s legal team, consisting of Bambang Widjojanto (center), Denny Indrayana (left) and Hashim Djojohadikusumo, files an appeal with the Constitutional Court over the presidential election results in Jakarta on May 24. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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mid the protests against the 2019 presidential election results that have gone into the legal sphere of the Constitutional Court, a side story involving losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto’s legal representatives has put a spotlight on members of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan's special staff.
Opposition leader Prabowo and his electoral running mate, Sandiaga Uno, have filed a challenge of the final results announced by the General Elections Commission (KPU) with the court, disputing the KPU’s conclusion that incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Ma’ruf Amin pair won the 2019 presidential election. The challenge was launched amid escalating tensions manifested in protests by the pair’s supporters over claims that the election results were marred by fraud.
One of Prabowo’s legal representatives who filed the dispute with the court on May 24 was Bambang Widjojanto. Bambang, a former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner who was also part of Anies’ campaign team during the 2017 gubernatorial elections. Soon after Anies took office in October 2017, he appointed Bambang to lead the legal and corruption prevention committee of the Jakarta Governor’s Team for Accelerated Development (TGUPP) in January 2018.
Bambang’s involvement in Prabowo and Sandiaga’s efforts to overturn the election results has raised questions over the conflicts of interest in the governor’s circle.
Anies quickly refuted that there was any conflict of interest, claiming that the case Bambang was handling was not related to any city administration issues. He also said it was Bambang’s right as a citizen to legally represent anyone.
“That is the right of a citizen. They [legal representatives] are not civil servants so they are entitled to decide their political preferences,” he said on Thursday.
Moreover, the governor said Bambang had taken leave from his job at the TGUPP and that he would not receive a salary during his absence.
