EMBATTLED CORRUPTION BUSTERS SCORE VICTORY WITH

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000066 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS INL FOR BLOOMQUIST, OPDAT FOR BERMAN/HAKIM, ICITAP FOR TREVILLIAN/BARR MCC FOR ISMAIL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON ETRD SNAR KJUS KMCA KCOR MCC ID SUBJECT: EMBATTLED CORRUPTION BUSTERS SCORE VICTORY WITH HIGH-PROFILE ARREST REF: (A) 09 JAKARTA 1967 and previous (B) 09 JAKARTA 1815 ¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified. Please handle accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY. Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) scored a major victory with the arrest of corruption suspect Anggodo Widjojo. The arrest not only fulfills the public's sense of justice, but demonstrates the KPK's commitment to eradicate corruption in the midst of attacks meant to weaken the institution. END SUMMARY ¶3. (U) The KPK arrested Widjojo on January 14, charging him with attempted bribery, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit acts of corruption. The arrest came after three long interrogation sessions conducted by KPK investigators of which the first two were unable to produce grounds for Widjojo's arrest. In November 2009, the Indonesian National Police (INP) detained and later released Widjojo after a recording played before Indonesia's Constitutional Court implicated him in a plot to frame KPK commissioners (see reftel B). ¶4. (U) Civil society hailed the arrest as a significant victory for the KPK after a series of perceived setbacks. According to former Presidential fact-finding team member Komaruddin Hidayat, this arrest fulfills the public's sense of justice. Widjojo played a central role in the plot to implicate KPK commissioners Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto which sparked demonstrations in support of the KPK. ¶5. (U) Interim KPK chief Tumpak Hatorang Panggabean suggested that there may be additional suspects named in the KPK's continuing investigation. The recording played before the Constitutional Court implicated other individuals, including former Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hakim Ritonga, Assistant Attorney General for Intelligence Wisnu Subroto, and INP Chief Detective Susno Duadji. Indonesia Corruption Watch legal affairs expert Febri Diansyah suggested that these individuals could also be arrested on similar charges based on the recorded conversations. ¶6. (SBU) Some institutions, including the INP, continue to question the KPK's integrity. Most recently, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mafud MD raised in the press rumors that a KPK official received approximately USD 2 million from a corruption suspect. Widjojo's arrest, however, shows that the KPK is continuing to bring alleged corruptors to justice, an action which has broad-based public support. HUME