Govt To Rearrange Police Investigators' Assignment At KPK

Jakarta, Oct 9 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said the government will soon issue a regulation to rearrange the assignment of police investigators at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). "The period of police investigators` assignment at the KPK that has led to a dispute needs to be rearranged by issuing a government regulation," the President said at the State Palace here on Monday night. The technical implementation of the government regulation may be set forth in a memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, he said. He said the assignment of police investigators at the KPK is currently based on article 5 sub-article 3 of a government regulation stipulating that the assignment of civil servants at other state agencies covers a maximum period of four years and can be extended for another four years. If the period of assignment under the government regulation is considered too short that it will impede investigation, then the government may issue a new regulation to replace it, he said. Earlier, on Friday night, dozens of police officers arrived at the KPK building shortly after the former chief of the National Traffic Police Corps, Inspector General Djoko Susilo, underwent questioning by KPK officials over his alleged involvement in a corruption case involving the procurement of driving simulators. The police officers accused one of the KPK investigators, police commissioner Novel Baswedan, of committing a criminal act that led to the death of the victim in Bengkulu province in 2004. According to police investigation, Novel was the head of Bengkulu police`s criminal unit at the time and was therefore responsible for the action of his men, who shot dead a suspect after a robbery incident. As the police officers arrived at the KPK building to question Novel, hundreds of people flocked to the location to express support for Novel who had led the investigation into the corruption case involving Djoko. Over the following weekend, many activists, public figures and politicians expressed hope that the dispute between the National Police and the KPK would be resolved soon, because it could hamper the country`s efforts to eradicate corruption.