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A lawmaker and one nongovernmental organization believe the rekindled prosecution of Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairmen Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto could be an attempt to hamper the antigraft agency’s investigation of the Bank Century bailout.

Anti-Corruption Civil Society Coalition (Kompak) spokesman Fadjroel told SCTV that the South Jakarta District Court’s decision to effectively order the Attorney General’s Office’s to charge the pair with corruption-related offenses related to the plans of the commission, also known as the KPK, to summon Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Vice President Boediono for questioning over their respective roles in approving the bailout.

He did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has previously urged the AGO to withdraw the charges of abuse of power and allowing corruption suspect Anggoro Widjojo to flee to Singapore leveled against the pair. The AGO complied, albeit reluctantly.

It has been alleged that the initial charges were the result of a high-level conspiracy involving elements of the AGO and National Police, among others, to discredit the respected antigraft agency.

South Jakarta District Court Judge Nugroho Setiadji on Monday, however, ordered prosecutors to charge Chandra and Bibit, arguing that the Criminal Procedures Code procedures did not recognize the “sociological reasons” used by the AGO to drop the charges in the first place.

The motion was filed by Angorro’s similarly controversial brother Angoddo, who has also been named a suspect for corruption. Anggodo faces up to life in jail on charges of attempted bribery, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit a crime. He claimed he had bribed the KPK officials with Rp 6 billion ($666,000) in exchange for halting his brother’s case.

Both Bibit and Chandra — who generated massive public sympathy after their initial arrests — had played key roles in the investigations of Angorro and Angoddo.

Syarifudin Suding, a lawmaker from the opposition People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), said he “sensed” that the judge’s version was “an attempt to weaken the KPK.”

“The verdict affects the antigraft officials who are focusing on the Century investigation,” he said.

The National Police, AGO and KPK are all investigating the Century case, with Sri Mulyani and Boediono standing accused of impropriety in arriving at the decision to bailout the ailing lender at the height of the global financial crisis in late 2008.