TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The failure of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to summon key witnesses in the bribery case involving Supreme Court secretary Agung Nurhadi is very worrying. Given that those witnesses are members of the police force, recently sworn National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian must give the KPK a lending hand in getting his subordinates to testify.

The KPK is investigating Nurhadi, who is suspected of 'manipulating' the verdict of a case currently being tried at the Central Jakarta District Court. The case involves Doddy Aryanto Supeno, an employee of Artha Pratama Anugera, a subsidiary company of the Lippo Group, who is charged with bribing Central Jakarta District Court clerk Edy Nasution. The problem is that the KPK's investigation is being hampered by its failure to summon five key witnesses who are the suspect's driver and four police officers working as Nurhadi's aides and bodyguard.

Like a magic trick, Nurhadi's driver Royani suddenly vanished. The KPK lost his trail although he is presumably living around Jakarta. Meanwhile, the other witnesses Brig. Ari Kuswanto, Brig. Dwianto Budiawan, Brig. Fauzi Hadi Nugroho and Sec. Insp. Andi Yulianto have refused to honor the KPK summons. Reportedly, they have been reassigned elsewhere.

The four officers are known to be in Poso, Central Sulawesi, attached to a team hunting down Santoso's terrorist gang. They were transferred at the end of last May in an apparent attempt by the police force to keep them out of trouble. The KPK informed the National Police of their status as witnesses around mid-May. It is highly unlikely that the police top brass was unaware of the KPK summons.

Gen. Tito Karnavian now needs to firmly order the transfer of those police officers back from Poso. Admittedly, the hunt for Santoso is a priority of the police, especially since Gen. Tito himself has pledged to get the fugitive terrorist dead or alive. However, it will also be a crying shame if he fails to collaborate with the KPK in this major graft case.

The police should not wait until the KPK forcibly drags the officers, who could be charged for obstructing justice and, if found guilty, imprisoned for up to nine months.

Meanwhile, the excessive number of aides and bodyguards attached to Nurhadi has also come under scrutiny. Although it does not violate any rule, dedicating too many resources to a Supreme Court secretary at the public's expense seems quite inappropriate. Gen. Tito must streamline such wasteful policies.

The public has had enough of grandiloquent promises. Gen. Tito can prove his commitment to eradicating corruption by extending his all-out assistance to the KPK in resolving the Nurhadi case, first by tracking down Royani. Then, he can issue an order for the transfer of the four police officers from Poso back to Jakarta.

Nurhadi's case should be a momentum for the new police chief to overhaul the police force and start afresh. He should not allow the public to regard the police force under his leadership as the same old stale institution that is indifferent to corruption eradication efforts. (*)

Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine