REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Jakarta Police are investigating assaults on two investigators of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), according to Senior Commissioner Argo Yuwono, spokesman of the Jakarta Police. The police received a report on the assaults from the KPK on Sunday, and the incident took place in a hotel on Saturday evening.
KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah earlier remarked that the agency had assigned the two men to investigate a tip-off on corruption indications. The duo was later assaulted owing to which they suffered bodily injuries.
"Although they had presented their KPK ID cards, assaults on the two KPK employees continued," Febri pointed out.
Febri said he heard that the assault was started when KPK investigators were caught for taking pictures of a meeting between Papuan provincial government and Papuan Regional House of Representatives, without consent. The two parties were discussing result of Home Ministry's review on Regional Budget (RAPBD) of 2019.
"We heard from Papua official it happened because the issue of taking photos but for any reason is not allowed for someone to take vigilante acts," he said.
The KPK has recorded at least nine attacks on its officials and employees, so far, with the latest one being committed on January 9, during which bombs were found at the homes of KPK Chairman Agus Raharjo and Commissioner Laode M. Syarif. The police are still investigating the terror attacks.
The Indonesian Police announced that Chief of the Indonesian Police (Polri) General Tito Karnavian had, on January 8, signed an assignment letter on the establishment of a joint team to investigate the case of Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of KPK. Novel was attacked with acid that led to him losing vision in his left eye nearly two years ago, but the perpetrators are still at large and unidentified until now.
He was fatally assaulted while heading home after performing Fajr, or the Dawn prayer, at a mosque nearby when two motorcyclists hurled acid on his face that injured his eyes, particularly the left eye, on April 11, 2017.
Novel, a 42-year-old retired police officer, had joined the anti-graft agency in 2007 and was entrusted with investigating major corruption cases, including those allegedly involving several high-ranking officials. Since then, he has been terrorized and attacked several times.
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