Anita Rachman & Ronna Nirmala

Police say they still lack sufficient evidence to charge Anggodo Widjojo, the brother of a fugitive graft suspect. (Photo: Supri, Reuters)

Lacking Evidence, Police Invite KPK to Probe Anggodo

Having questioned a host of witnesses, including case broker Ary Muladi, over bribery allegations against businessman Anggodo Widjojo, the National Police declared on Friday that they lacked sufficient evidence in the case and welcomed the Corruption Eradication Commission to continue its investigation.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said on Friday that the police “were wondering whether or not the KPK [commission] would launch inquiries into Anggodo” over attempted bribery allegations to simplify matters, considering that the KPK already held most of the evidence in the case.

Nanan was referring to Anggodo’s telephone conversations, which were secretly taped during an investigation by the antigraft commission into his brother, Anggoro Widjojo, and Anggoro’s company, PT Masaro Radiokom.

Many of the conversations were played during an explosive hearing at the Constitutional Court on Nov. 3.

Nanan denied that police were shirking their duties and reiterated that they still intended to investigate the case.

He said the police had discussed whether it was possible to “exchange and combine” information held by the police and the KPK, to strengthen the case.

“It would be faster than having the police investigate it from scratch ... if the KPK has evidence that [Anggodo] had attempted to bribe,” he said.

“We need to work together with the KPK to declare [Anggodo a bribery suspect],” he said.

In the tapes played at the Nov. 3 hearing, Anggodo could be heard discussing with a number of people from the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office an alleged plot to undermine the KPK and two of its deputy chairmen, Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto.

Earlier this week, police questioned Ary a day after he was questioned by the antigraft commission over his role in the alleged plot to weaken the KPK.

Ary previously told the National Police he had funneled Rp 5.1 billion ($540,000) to several executives at the KPK from long-time friend Anggodo.

He later retracted this statement, saying the money he received from Anggodo had been handed over to a man identified only as Yulianto.

To date, nobody has been able to identify or locate the whereabouts of the so-called Yulianto.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi only offered a short comment on Friday, declining to elaborate on whether the KPK would agree to taking over investigations into Anggodo.

“I will recheck the evidence cited by the police,” Johan said.

Police are trying to determine whether they can charge Anggodo under articles of the Criminal Code on defamation, bribery, issuing a murder threat, insulting a state institution and a state figure, and insulting the Indonesian president.

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