KPK Admits Seeking Postponement Of Investigation Of Former Chiefs

Jakarta, March 13 (Antara) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has written to police seeking the postponement of their investigation of its non-active chiefs, Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, the KPK's acting deputy chief confirmed here on Friday. Samad and Widjojanto have been named suspects by the Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim). The letter did not ask for the investigations to be stopped, but to be postponed, Johan Budi, the acting Deputy Chief of the KPK, said here Friday. Zulkarnain, another commissioner of the KPK, noted a postponement will possibly cool down the tension between the police and KPK. On Wednesday (March 11), acting Police Chief Commissioner General Badrodin Haiti stated the investigation can be postponed until the situation turns favorable. The postponement can be for one or two months, he added. Bambang Widjojanto delivered a letter from the KPK's acting chief Taufiequrachman Ruki to Bareskrim asking the police to halt investigating KPK's non-active commissioners and employees for a while. The request also referred to an agreement among the chiefs of the KPK and police, and the Attorney General, with regard to President Joko Widodo's statement that the criminalization of KPK commissioners must be stopped. The President had made the request through Minister/State Secretary Pratikno. Therefore, the police do not have the authority to continue their investigation, Widjojanto affirmed.