The KPK Is On The Verge Of Public Trust After Its Investigators Extort The Mayor Of Tanjungbalai For Rp1.5 Billion

Gedung KPK (Muhammad Iqbal / VOI)

JAKARTA - An investigator from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) from the police is suspected of extorting the Mayor of Tanjungbalai Syahrial up to IDR 1.5 billion. This then provoked a reaction from the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) which said the anti-graft commission was corrupt and was on the threshold of public trust.

The news related to extortion carried out by investigators from the Bhayangkara Corps was originally revealed by the Chairman of the KPK Supervisory Board, Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean. He said that his party had received information verbally but had not received a written report.

"The official report (related to extortion, red) has not been received but oral information has been conveyed," said Tumpak in his statement to reporters, Wednesday, April 21.

The investigator, with the initials AKP SR, reportedly asked the Mayor of Tanjungbalai for money to stop the case being investigated by the KPK. As for the city, the anti-corruption commission is indeed investigating the alleged bribery related to the auction of positions at the Tanjungbalai City Government in 2019.

Regarding the action of one of his subordinates, KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri then spoke up. He said his party would take firm action because the KPK did not tolerate irregularities.

"The KPK will not tolerate irregularities and will ensure that it will take action against perpetrators of corruption indiscriminately," said Firli.

He also emphasized that the KPK continues to carry out investigations related to this alleged extortion by collecting various other preliminary evidence. Furthermore, the results of the investigation will be followed up with a case title immediately in the leadership expose forum.

"We will inform further developments," he said.

KPK is at the threshold of trust

ICW criticized anti-corruption organizations after the extortion incident was exposed. ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana said that the current internal management of the KPK was already dilapidated and considered this case to be the culmination of a pre-existing internal problem.

"The KPK is at the threshold of public trust," he said as quoted from his written statement.

After all, this is not the first time that there has been a scandal inside the KPK. There are a number of incidents that Kurnia considers as corroborating his statement, such as theft of evidence, failure to search, the absence of fugitive Harun Masiku, the loss of a politician's name in the indictment, and the alleged extortion of the regional head.

"This issue must also be directed at the corruption of internal institutional management by the commissioners," he stressed.

Furthermore, Kurnia said that the extortion that occurred was also caused by a new policy in the leadership of Firli Bahuri. Where in the era of the KPK leadership for the 2019-2023 period, the announcement of the suspect was made during detention and this was considered to create space for negotiations.

In fact, said Kurnia, there was no legal basis that required the KPK to keep the suspect's name secret during the investigation stage. According to him, the new KPK policy violated the rules in the KPK Law on transparency.

"By doing this continuously, the KPK has violated Article 5 of the KPK Law regarding the principles of public interest, openness and institutional accountability," he said.

"The new habit of the KPK in investigating cases without the determination of a suspect is also exacerbated by the KPK's authority to issue an order for the termination of investigation (SP3) as stipulated in Article 40 paragraph (1) of the KPK Law. on stopping investigations through the issuance of SP3 by the KPK, "concluded this anti-corruption activist.