A spokesman for the Jakarta police, Sr. Comr. Ade Safri Simanjuntak, said investigators had secured sufficient incriminating evidence to arraign Firli. The list of evidence includes foreign exchange receipts in Singapore and United States dollar denominations from several money changer outlets worth Rp 7.4 billion dated from February 2021 to September 2023. Along with this piece of crucial evidence, authorities also confiscated 21 mobile phones from witnesses, 17 email accounts, four flash drives, two vehicles, three e-money accounts, one remote keyless entry fob and a brown wallet.

Firli will be charged under Article 12E, Article 11B of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 65 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code, which could hand him a life sentence if he is found guilty.

Firli, however, has remained at large despite the charges. He has continued to show up at the KPK, spreading fear among investigators about the impacts of his arraignment on their work.  For example, the validity of documents signed by Firli could become a subject of questioning and could potentially be perceived as lacking legal basis.

One of the investigators said that KPK leaders have agreed to suspend Firli, but they have still allowed him to be present in the office and even to lead strategic meetings. The investigator added that KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata's statement that he was not embarrassed by Firli being named a suspect  might further erode public trust in the commission.

Firli's attorney Ian Iskandar has stated that his client will be challenging the Jakarta police's decision to name him a suspect, saying the move had no legal ground.  Ian claims that the police investigators never presented the evidence they seized in the case. In fact, Firli filed a pretrial lawsuit with the South Jakarta District Court against the city police chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto, a former head of the KPK's enforcement division.

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The pretrial is set to begin on Dec. 11. National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has ordered all investigators to prepare themselves for the court battle. Listyo understands that Firli's pretrial bid is his right, but he asked the Jakarta police to work hard to convince the judge that their decision on Firli is justifiable.

What’s more

Interim KPK leader Nawawi Pomolango said his focus would be on restoring public confidence in the antigraft body in light of Firli's extortion case.  Nawawi said he would talk with the three remaining KPK deputies to discuss the KPK's steps going forward.

Nawawi also stated that the ongoing investigation into Firli would not affect the KPK's probes into high-profile corruption cases, such as that involving Syahrul and its search for fugitive graft suspect Harun Masiku. He ensured that the KPK's investigation into alleged graft at the Agriculture Ministry would continue and the recent appointment of Insp. Gen. Rudi Setiawan as the KPK's new enforcement and execution deputy would boost the antigraft body's efforts to capture Harun.

Responding to Firli's extortion case, KPK spokesman Ali Fikri said Tuesday that the KPK leaders had agreed to not provide legal aid to Firli after careful deliberation.8 Previously, KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata had stated that Firli would continue to receive legal assistance from the commission.

To show his commitment to restoring the KPK's credibility, Nawawi denied Firli access to the KPK building. Nawai said Firli could no longer engage in activities at the KPK and would be treated as an ordinary guest if he turned up to the KPK building. Previously, KPK deputy chairman Johanis Tanak said Firli had lost the authority and privileges of the job, but would be allowed to visit the KPK building since his suspension was temporary.

What we’ve heard

Firli's legal team considers the prosecution of their client a flaw as the process to name him a suspect did not go through a proper investigation. Additionally, the alleged extortion report involving Firli is suspected to have been filed by the police themselves. "It's a type A report, so the police themselves filed the report," said the source.

Another source familiar with the case deems Firli's chance of winning the pretrial is very slim because he no longer enjoys political support from various parties. "Removal from an official post indicates a loss of political support needed to win a pretrial hearing," the source stated.

Firli is said to have lost support from various quarters, especially from high-ranking state officials in the security sector. This is attributed to Firli's frequent blunders and blatant violations during his tenure as the KPK chairman. "Firli's patrons find it difficult to defend and save him," said the source.

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