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Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin has been removed from the Democratic Party’s ethics board a day after appearing on television to defend beleaguered party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, but officials deny any link between the events.

Jero Wacik, the energy minister and also a member of the party’s ethics board, said on Wednesday that Amir had been removed as secretary of the board by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He has been replaced by T.B. Silalahi, a close presidential aide, and appointed to the party’s advisory board.

“That decision was made by [Yudhoyono] on Tuesday,” Jero told reporters at the State Palace.

He added that Yudhoyono, who also chairs the five-man ethics board and the advisory board, wanted Amir to focus on his job as justice minister.

“Previously he wasn’t a minister, so he was able to focus completely on his job on the ethics council,” he said.

“But now that he’s a minister he’s become busier, so it has been decided to move him to the advisory board.”

The ethics board, however, has two other ministers serving on it: Jero and E.E. Mangindaan, the transportation minister. The fifth member is Anas.

The move comes just a day after Amir appeared on national television to defend Anas, who is facing intense scrutiny over corruption allegations.

Ramadhan Pohan, the Democratic Party deputy secretary general, denied Amir’s demotion was in response to his support for Anas, who has become a polarizing figure in the party.

“I can assure you that it’s not because he’s been seen as going soft [on Anas],” he said.

On the episode of the “Jakarta Lawyers’ Club” talk show that aired on TVOne on Tuesday, Amir said the Democrats’ ethics board had decided against suspending Anas as party chairman because it was not yet proven that he was involved in the bid-rigging case for which former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin is now standing trial.

Nazaruddin claims Anas took Rp 50 billion ($5.7 million) in kickbacks from a Rp 1.7 trillion project to build a sports stadium in Bogor, as well as Rp 80 billion from a Rp 2.2 trillion deal to build power plants in East Kalimantan and Riau.

Syarief Hasan, a member of the advisory board, said the decision on whether Anas stayed on at the helm of the party hinged on whether the KPK chose to name him a suspect or not.

“We call on the KPK to speed up the investigative process. If they have a case, so be it,” said Syarief, who is also the minister for cooperatives and small and medium enterprises.

“Anas has claimed he was clean in the case and the advisory board chairman said he believed him, unless the KPK says otherwise.”

Syarief acknowledged that the controversy was proving a liability for the party ahead of legislative and presidential elections in 2014.

“The problems facing the Democrats have certainly benefited the other parties,” he said.