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Police to investigate kidnapping and power abuse report against KPK
Jakarta Post - August 7, 2015
The KPK has named Kaligis as a suspect in a bribery case involving three judges in Medan, North Sumatra, and he is currently in their custody.
National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said that investigators were currently examining the report filed this week by Kaligis, through his legal team, who accused KPK investigators of kidnapping and abusing their power during his arrest.
"The [report] is currently being examined. If we find any evidence then we will continue the investigation," he told reporters at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.
KPK investigators arrested and detained the senior lawyer on July 14 after it found what it claims is evidence that he had orchestrated a scheme to bribe three judges of the Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN Medan).
The arrest of Kaligis came just days after KPK investigators apprehended the three judges – PTUN Medan head Tripeni Irianto Putra, Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting – during a sting operation on July 9 in Medan for allegedly accepting US$20,000 in bribes from Kaligis' aide Yagari "Gerry" Bhastara Guntur, who has also been named and detained as a suspect.
Budi explained that Kaligis' legal team had provided several pieces of evidence, such as an audio recording and testimonies of several witnesses.
"We will later send a letter [to the KPK] after examining the police report and our first act will be to question the victim, in this case Mr. OC Kaligis. Of course we will coordinate with the KPK and ask for their permission as he is currently detained," he said, emphasizing that there was no ill-feeling between the KPK and the police force.
Afterwards, Budi added, officers would most likely question the KPK investigators who had been responsible for Kaligis' arrest at Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta.
Previously, one of Kaligis' lawyers, Afrian Bondjol, told The Jakarta Post that his legal team would file a police report against the KPK investigators as it was evident that they had violated legal procedures. "During his forced summons, the presumed investigator did not show him a warrant," he said.
Furthermore, Kaligis' legal team have also filed for a pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court to challenge his arrest, detention and status as a suspect, which will start next Monday.
"We suspect that the KPK violated the procedure on the time frame of summons. Kaligis was summoned on July 13, but received the summons on the same day. The summons should have been sent three days before," Afrian said.
Meanwhile, KPK acting commissioner Johan Budi brushed off Kaligis' police report. "[Kaligis] is welcome to file a report at the [National Police's] detective division. He is fully within his rights to file a report anywhere," he said, as reported by kompas.com.
He reiterated that the KPK had arrested Kaligis in accordance with the proper procedures and was sure that the police force's detective division would confirm this. Furthermore, Johan added that the KPK had yet to receive a formal notification of Kaligis' police report.
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