The arrest indicates that both police and KPK reveal each other."
Balikpapan (ANTARA News) - The Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) has praised the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police (Bareskrim) for arresting Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Bambang Widjojanto.

"The public may see the arrest as a retaliatory act as KPK had earlier named a national police chief candidate a suspect. Even they may say the arrest is the second struggle between gecko and crocodile," IPW commissioner chief Neta Pane said on Friday.

Neta noted that police had long since investigated the case that allegedly involved Bambang Widjojanto.

However, since they wanted to avoid a conflict with KPK following the graft-ridden procurement of driving simulators, they put the investigation in the case on hold, he added.

"The arrest of BW (Bambang Widjojanto) will benefit the public because it will allow for a transparent eradication of corruption cases. The arrest indicates that both police and KPK reveal each other," Neta pointed out.

Hopefully, the mutual revelation will make officials of both institutions introspect and refrain from amassing wealth illicitly, he remarked.

"IPW hopes that the BW case will be brought to justice quickly so the public will get to see what really goes on in police and KPK," he emphasized.

Chief of the Public Relations Division at the National Police Headquarters Insp. Gen. Ronny Sompie confirmed that the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) detained Widjojanto for questioning at 7.30 a.m. local time on Friday when he was driving his son to elementary school.

Bareskrim has named Widjojanto a suspect in a 2010 regional election dispute case. He has been accused of prompting a witness to give false testimony at the Constitutional Court regarding the dispute in Kotawaringin Barat, Central Kalimantan, when he was still a lawyer.

Ronny stated that the police received a report about the alleged false testimony only on Jan. 15, and it has been corroborated by expert opinions and documents.

The arrest of the KPK deputy chairman has sparked protest in many circles, with the Coalition of Anti-Corruption Civilians describing it as an arbitrary act and a backlash against the anti-corruption movement.

Some 100 anti-corruption activists gathered at the KPK building here on Friday to support the anti-graft body following the arrest.

Among the activists were former deputy minister Denny Indrayana, artist Butet Kertaradjasa, Advocacy Director of Legal Aid Institute Jakarta Bahrain, Kontras activist Haris Azhar, Emerson Yuntho of Indonesian Corruption Watch, Zainal Arifin Mochtar of the University of Gadjah Mada, "Salam Dua Jari" volunteer Fadjroel Rachman, Haridz Abbas of the Human Rights Commission, and philosophy lecturer Franz Magnis Suseno.

(Reported by Susylo Asmalyah/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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