Officers to face the music

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Police investigators are set to hold a disciplinary hearing, which could spell the dismissal of 16 officers alleged to have received bribes during the Bank BNI scandal investigation.

Detective chief Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung said over the weekend that the hearing was focused on an alleged breach of the police's code of ethics committed by the officers in the form of suspected bribes from one of the primary suspects in the Rp 1.7 (US$188.9 million) scam, Adrian Waworuntu who is now standing trial.

"It will take one day to do the hearing for four officers, so it should be done in four days this week. The hearings will be open to the public," Suyitno said.

If the officers are found guilty at the disciplinary hearing, they could be dismissed and face trial at the district court.

The police earlier interrogated more than 30 officers over the bribery allegation, but later cleared some of them, saying the they only committed administrative violations.

Press reports have stated that all fraud investigators, who handled the BNI case, received between Rp 25 million and Rp 50 million from Adrian according to their rank.

When asked when National Police operations chief Brig. Gen. Samuel Ismoko's hearing would take place, Suyitno said the decision was in the hands of National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

"The National Police chief is the one to decide when a hearing of high-ranking officers can be held. However, the decision could be delegated to me," he said.

Ismoko, the former head of the National Police's fraud squad, who led the investigation into the BNI scam, allegedly accepted a bribe worth US$20,000 from Adrian.

Adrian later managed to escape and flee to the United States despite a travel ban. Adrian turned himself in shortly after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took office on Oct. 20 and is currently on trial for the offense at the South Jakarta District Court.

The escape of the high-profile suspect raised suspicions that he was helped by the investigating police officers.