TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In West Java, law enforcement authorities, like elsewhere, are tasked with arresting criminals, not cover up their crimes. But the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) testimony of former Subang Regent Ojang Suhandi, who confessed to having bribed police officers to escape the law, proves otherwise. Instead of chasing criminals, the police conspired with them to cover up crimes.
For his part, Ojang, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was caught bribing a prosecutor in an attempt to have his name erased from the social security fund (BPJS) graft case file. A court had found two former officials of the Subang health services department guilty of embezzling Rp4.7 billion from the social security claim refund of Rp41 billion, and subsequently sentenced them to four years in prison.
The West Java Police special crime directorate had been probing the BPJS case since early 2015 but failed to nail Ojang as a suspect until the KPK made the arrest. He slyly turned over state evidence in exchange for immunity, confessing that he had bribed the police with three trail motorcycles, free off-roading services and Rp1.4 billion in cash.
What is even more disgraceful is the fact that this was not the first involvement of the West Java regional police in a graft case. Around mid-2014, two officers were arrested by the National Police crime investigation unit for accepting Rp5 million in kickbacks from an online gambling dealer. Such dirty law enforcement officers should receive harsher punishment than actual felons. They abuse their power to commit crimes on top of crimes.
Having netted Ojang's quite candid testimony along with his supporting evidence, KPK investigators should not have difficulties in expanding the case. Although the police investigated the original BPJS corruption case, the KPK should not hesitate in taking it over. The anti-corruption law stresses that once the KPK begins investigating a case, the prosecution and the police that first launched the case should step aside.
The KPK should not be deterred by past incidents when they were sharply opposed, including the criminalization it faced when it investigated police officers. After all, every time the KPK came under attack, the public always defended it. On the other hand, the KPK and police should not always take opposing positions. Now that the KPK and the National Police have new leaders, the case involving the West Java Police should become a momentum to mend relations between the two law enforcement institutions. This is the time to strengthen their coordination.
The KPK can also hand over the West Java police case to police investigators on the police chief's guarantee that they will resolve the case. To ensure the case is handled impartially, the National Police should take over the case from its West Java colleagues, and not subject them to investigate their own associates, let alone their supervisors.
But should this case indeed be handled by the National Police, the KPK must not wash its hands off it. The law requires the KPK to still take the supervisory role. Its close monitoring will leave little room for law enforcement officials to conspire with criminals to commit crimes. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
