Indonesia police needle another anti-graft official

By Ainur Rohmah

JAKARTA

The chairman of Indonesia’s anti-corruption watchdog has been named as a suspect in a document forgery case, less than a month after his deputy was arrested amid a feud between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and national police.

Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi, South Sulawesi province police spokesperson, told a press briefing Tuesday that investigators had compiled sufficient evidence against Chairman Abraham Samad, including a family card, an ID card and a passport -- all believed to be false.

The move comes as the agency and the police remain locked in a feud after Bambang Widjojanto, a KPK board member, was arrested Jan. 23 on charges of false testimony in a 5-year-old case.

That followed the KPK’s naming of Budi Gunawan -- President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s pick as national police chief -- as a suspect in a bribery case.

Jokowi has since suspended Gunawan's inauguration after Widjojanto’s arrest was greeted with widespread public protests.

According to Sutendi, Samad was named a suspect Feb. 9 after a series of meetings at the detective and crime agency between police officers regarding false identification documents under the name of Feriyani Lim.

"We have sent an examination letter to the suspect. He will be investigated as a suspect in the South and West Sulawesi police headquarters in Makassar on Friday, Feb. 20," Kompas.com quoted him as saying.

"The main suspect is Feriyani Lim, as well as Abraham Samad because he helped to falsify some documents," Endi added.

Earlier reports had said that Feriyani, a resident of West Kalimantan’s provincial capital Pontianak was named a suspect in a passport forgery case.

In the 2007 passport application, Feriyani claimed to be a member of Samad’s family, with an address located in the Masale subdistrict of South Sulawesi’s provincial capital Makassar, the Jakarta Post reported.

"So far, investigators have questioned 23 witnesses from the immigration, district and subdistrict offices, as well as other related parties. In this case, Abraham Samad acted as the head of the family, while Feriyani was a member of the family," Endi said.

Samad is suspected of having violated a law on administrative settlement that carries a penalty of eight years in prison.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Patrice Rio Capella has called on Jokowi to issue a presidential decree – known as a perppu -- to save the anti-corruption agency, telling The Anadolu Agency that its efficiency was endangered by the blows dealt to two of its four leaders.

Explaining that agency regulations mandate that each head temporarily resign upon being named a suspect, National Democratic Party secretary-general Patrice Rio Capella said, “the president must make a perppu to save KPK immediately."

Rio also proposed that Jokowi immediately form a selection committee to speed up the process of electing a new KPK leader – a decision that must be made collectively according to regulations.

"If possible, there could be a committee next month," he added.