Indonesia’s anti-graft agency chief suspended amid extortion probe
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Mr Firli Bahuri is the latest official in Mr Widodo’s administration linked to graft accusations.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has suspended the chief of Indonesia’s anti-graft agency, his aide said on Nov 25, over suspected extortion in an investigation that has ensnared a former minister.
The step came after police this week said the official, Mr Firli Bahuri, is suspected of extorting money
“President Joko Widodo has signed a presidential decree on the suspension of KPK chief Firli Bahuri,” said Mr Ari Dwipayana, the coordinator of the president’s special staff, using the abbreviation of the agency’s name.
Mr Widodo’s letter, signed on Nov 24, takes immediate effect, releasing Mr Firli from all his tasks and authority until he is fully discharged once his status changes to defendant, he added, with Mr Nawawi Pamolango, a deputy, named as interim successor.
Mr Firli and the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A former inspector-general of police, Mr Firli has become the latest official in Mr Widodo’s administration linked to graft accusations.
Police said the authorities had confiscated foreign currency transaction documents from Singapore and 7.4 billion rupiah (S$640,000) worth of US currency in two raids relating to the case against him.
Mr Firli was appointed in 2019 at around the time critics said the agency, known as the Corruption Eradication Commission, had been weakened by changes to the law governing it, triggering a series of protests that aimed to save the body.
On Nov 23, a former agency chief and a number of investigators shaved their heads in front of its office in the capital, Jakarta, saying the gesture celebrated the clean-up. REUTERS
