REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Criminal law expert from the University of Trisakti Abdul Fickar Hajar lambasted the Special Committee of the House of Representatives probing alleged corruption in state-owned port operator Pelindo II as politically motivated.
The ultimate target is to topple a cabinet minister Rini Soemarno, who is minister for state enterprises, Fickar Hajar said here on Wednesday.
"I see the Special Committee is merely to meet political ambition. It is sad that legal case is being politicized," Fickar said.
According to him, the decision of police to return goods they confiscated from Pelindo II in a raid earlier indicated something wrong in the way of police handling the case.
It was even suspected that investigations launched by police's criminal detective agency (Bareskrim) of alleged corruption in Pelindo II was aimed at bringing down Rini Soemarno.
"What is taking place now is that the Special Committee has been steered by political parties," he said, adding those in power think they could do whatever they want to do in this country," he added.
The special committee has summoned Rini Soemarno for questioning on Wednesday.
Committee chairperson Rieke Diah Pitaloka, a lawmaker from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), said the questioning will be held in an open meeting.
Rieke said the Committee has also summoned Attorney General M. Prasetyo for questioning on Monday but he failed to appear.
She said the Committee has only 60 days to wrap up its probing including summoning for questioning informants and collecting documents, before calling meetings to discuss all inputs and documents.
In the process the Committee has summoned and questioned former police's chief detective police Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, former director of special economic crime case Brig. Gen. Victor Edison Simanjuntak, and police's chief detective Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar.
In two week the Committee has succeeded in collecting many documents and data, Rieke said.
The Parliament formed the Committee after Budi Waseso was moved from his position as head of the police's Criminal Detective Agency (Bareskrim).
Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika