May 28, 2024
JAKARTA – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has summoned National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin following a reported case of spying on a prosecutor from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) by members of the police’s counterterrorism unit Densus 88.
“I have summoned [the National Police chief and Attorney General],” Jokowi said in a press conference in Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday, without elaborating on the meeting’s results.
“Ask the National Police chief directly,” he added.
An investigator at the office of the special crimes deputy attorney general (Jampidsus), Febrie Adriansyah, was reportedly spied on by members of Densus 88 when he visited a restaurant in South Jakarta on May 19.
According to an unnamed source, Febrie’s aides noticed two men who were attempting to record Febrie’s conversation over dinner.
Febrie is currently leading an investigation into a corruption case involving publicly listed tin miner PT Timah that is thought to have incurred Rp 271 trillion (USD16.9 billion) in losses to the state.
Experts have said that the police’s alleged attempt to spy on an AGO official, if true, indicated a conflict between the two institutions. Listyo and Burhanuddin, however, gave an assurance on Monday that the institutions’ relations were just fine.
On the other hand, an Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman confirmed that military police had been deployed to guard the AGO headquarters and grant security protection to the investigators working there.
In a separate case on Monday, Febrie along with another AGO official were reported to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly misappropriating confiscated assets to be auctioned off by the AGO’s Asset Recovery Center (PPA).
Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) head Sugeng Teguh Santoso reported head of the PPA, identified only as ST, for setting a limit on the auction price, with Febrie approving the setting of the limit, resulting in state losses of Rp 9.3 trillion.