Susno Duadji arriving at the House of Representatives
on Thursday to answer questions about an ongoing tax scandal
A defiant Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji on Thursday fired another salvo at the National Police, accusing the force of having studiously avoided implicating the real actor in the scandal surrounding rogue tax official Gayus Tambunan.
Addressing a hearing with House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees laws and legislation, the former National Police chief detective said the Gayus investigation had failed to touch “the real actor,” whom he identified as “Mr. X.”
“There is a real actor, the mastermind, who is still untouched by the law,” Susno said. “He is a civilian, not a police general, but has the ability to influence law enforcement to take it easy on Gayus.”
He said the man was so powerful that he could influence not only the police but also state prosecutors and judges.
Susno declined to identify the man, but as a clue said he played a role in solving a case related to an arowana fish farm in Pekanbaru, Riau, a year ago.
“Everyone at the National Police, including the current National Police chief detective, Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi, knows about this man,” he added.
A police source close to the investigation told that Susno was referring to businessman Syahrir Johan.
“This man has power because we know that in the last elections he donated money to some presidential candidates,” the source said.
Another police source said Johan was a close friend of a former National Police deputy chief and used to come almost daily to the latter’s office until he retired.
Susno’s laywer, Henry Yosodiningrat, confirmed his client was referring to Johan.
“Yes, he was, but Pak Susno could not make it public because we have to uphold the presumption of innocence,” he said.
Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Susatyo earlier this month identified Johan as a suspected case broker active at National Police headquarters.
Susno, who appeared at the House accompanied by his lawyer and a medical team to ensure his food was not poisoned, said his only motive for coming out with his revelations was to get at the truth.
“I don’t have any motive but the truth. I don’t want to be National Police chief or even the chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK],” he said, adding that he would reject those positions if they were offered.
He also said he was ready to face the consequences of his revelations, adding that his son and grandson “would be proud if I died while promoting the truth.”
Susno acknowledged that he was not “100 percent clean,” but challenged anyone “to prove that I am corrupt.”
He also said he was seeking legal protection from the House commission.
“Even though I am not physically threatened, I feel that my career will soon end,” he said, predicting the police would fire him on the pretext that he had breached the code of ethics.
Susno said Gayus was a mere actor in the tax embezzlement case, while Batam businessman Andi Kosasih, who is also facing charges, was “a puppet.”
“There is still a mastermind at large and the National Police must prove their claim that they will take firm action against anybody involved in this case,” he said.
Susno said he realized just before leaving his post as chief detective last November that his investigators had not handled the Gayus case properly and had called for it to be reopened. He said he also found out just four days before leaving his post that the new director of economic crimes had unfrozen Gayus’s accounts.
“I reported this to the National Police chief and the National Police spokesman but they did not do anything,” Susno said.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang declined to comment on Susno’s claim.
