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A day after one of its former senior officials accused three high-ranking officers of accepting as much as Rp 25 billion ($2.75 million) in bribes, the National Police on Friday launched a counterattack, threatening a defamation suit and accusing Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji himself of corruption.

The former chief of detectives told a news conference on Thursday that the three officers he identified only by rank and initials — Brig. Gen. RE, Brig. Gen. E and Chief Comr. E— were bribed to halt an investigation into the suspicious bank accounts of a mid-level tax directorate official, Gayus Tambunan.

“Susno’s statements are not supported by facts, and that is a violation of the law. This is defamation and an insult. Our legal division is now reviewing this and will ask for his evidence,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang told reporters.

Susno on Thursday claimed that while he was still in his post, he had ordered his staff to investigate and freeze bank accounts in Gayus’s name that held Rp 25 billion. But after the three officers were bribed, the probe was called off and the accounts reopened, he said.

Brig. Gen. Radja Erisman, the director of economic crimes at the National Police, and his predecessor, current Lampung Police Chief Brig. Gen. Edmond Ilyas, are believed to be the two police generals identified by Susno.

“My reputation, my family and my children have been insulted,” Radja told the same news conference. “I also have evidence that Susno was the one who received money from the account.”

Edmond said officers in the case had reported all developments to Susno. “He knew exactly what was going on.” Edmond filed a complaint against Susno with the police later on Friday.

Adj. Chief Comr. Mardiani, an investigator with the economic crimes unit, said that the investigation found that only Rp 395 million of the funds in Gayus’s accounts was illegal.

“We then named Gayus as a suspect and charged him with money laundering, corruption and embezzlement . . . and we transferred his dossier to prosecutors,” Mardiani said.

He added, however, that Gayus had not been arrested “because he was cooperative.”

After transferring the dossier, police also unfroze Gayus’s accounts in PT Panin Bank and PT Bank Central Asia, which still held Rp 24.5 billion in funds.

Gayus declined to state whether that money was still deposited in the accounts.

He said the money belonged to a Batam businessman named Andi Kosasih, while Susno claimed the sum was actually a bribe. In a text message to the Jakarta Globe, Gayus said, “I didn’t give money to the police.”

Denny Indrayana, the president’s adviser on legal affairs and the head of the Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force, said on Friday that his team would look into the case, but said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should also investigate.

KPK Deputy Chairman Bibit Samad Rianto said the commission was ready to investigate the case, but an official request from the task force was needed. “Investigating [law enforcers] is within the KPK’s jurisdiction,” he said.

Bibit added that the antigraft agency would also require all documents that Susno submitted to the task force.

“That information could be used as preliminary evidence to investigate the case,” he said.


Additional reporting by Camelia Pasandaran, Nivell Rayda & Emmy Fitri