TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Fifteen employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have been detained on suspicion of receiving bribes from within the KPK custody. Herdiansyah Hamzah, a researcher at Mulawarman University, suspects that this move could be an attempt by the KPK to improve its image after recent internal corruption cases, including the alleged extortion of Syahrul Yasin Limpo by its former chief, Firli Bahuri.

"It is hard not to say that behind the handling of this graft case there is indeed an effort to improve the image of the institution. Because if this case is handled by the KPK itself, the conflict of interest in handling the case is too great," he told Tempo on Monday, March 18.

Herdiansyah said the case should have been handled by other law enforcement agencies, especially the police, from the beginning. "That way, the process is more objective, without the impression of self-flagellation."

The fact that the KPK itself is handling the case raises doubts about objectivity. Therefore, he understands if there are assumptions that this is just the KPK's way to save its own personnel by localizing the handling of the case. "The detention of the suspects at the Jakarta Metro Police Detention Center] actually confirms or justifies that this case should not be handled by the KPK," he said.

On March 15, the KPK named 15 of its employees as suspects in an extortion case and had them detained by the Jakarta Metro Police.

KPK director of investigation Asep Guntur Rahayu said that two of the 15 suspects were Achmad Fauzi, the head of the KPK's detention center branch, and Hengki, a civil servant (PNYD) who was assigned as a KPK detention center branch officer in 2018-2022.

Asep said that for investigation purposes, the 15 suspects would be detained at the Jakarta Metro Police Detention Center for 20 days, from March 15 to April 3.

The suspects are charged of violating Article 12 Letter e of Law No.31/1999 on the Eradication of Corruption.

BAGUS PRIBADI

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