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Jakarta. Former National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji demanded money to speed up a police investigation according to a lawyer at the court hearing of a suspected case broker on Monday.

Haposan Hutagalung said he was angry that he had to pay Rp 500 million ($56,000) to Susno to speed up the case, news portal Kompas.com reported.

Haposan was the lawyer for Ho Kian Kuat, the plaintiff in a legal battle over the ownership of an arowana fish hatchery in Lampung, South Sumatra, in 2007.

“I feel as if he has taken advantage of me, like I have been extorted,” Haposan said in his testimony at the court hearing of suspected case broker Sjahril Djohan. “I was the plaintiff, not the suspect. Why did I have to pay money?”

“That's why I asked the defendant [Sjahril Djohan] to arrange a meeting with me and Susno because I knew the defendant was good friends with him,” Haposan said.

According to Haposan, the meeting took place in Susno's office at the National Police headquarters and he promised to make an arrest after the police had gathered enough data.

“But it quickly became apparent that there's no truth to Susno's words,” he said. “He has been removed from his position but my case is still in limbo.”