Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji was arrested
on Monday at Police National Headquarters.
High-profile former chief of detectives Susno Duadji, whom many saw as untouchable for the secrets he is assumed to possess, was arrested on Monday and declared a suspect in a bribery case.
“The investigators have enough evidence and witnesses to name Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji as a suspect,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said. “We have 24 hours to hold him [for questioning] before we detain him.”
Edward said Susno — who a month ago exposed alleged bribe-taking by police, judges and prosecutors in the acquittal of mid-level tax official Gayus Tambunan — was believed to have taken bribes himself.
“We suspect he broke the corruption law by taking bribes and gratuities in the arowana case,” Edward said, referring to a dispute over an arowana fish farm in Pekanbaru, Riau, in 2008.
Susno, who faces up to 20 years in jail and fines of up to Rp 1 billion ($110,000) if found guilty, will be taken to the Brimob detention center in Depok today. “We are concerned about his safety and cannot mix him with other detainees,” said Insp. Gen. Mathius Salempang, head of the investigative team.
Susno’s arrest came just a day after former narcotics officer Adj. Sr. Comr. Syamsurizal Mokoagouw told he saw alleged case broker Sjahril Djohan give Susno the bribe at the latter’s house in South Jakarta in December 2008.
While Edward said Susno’s arrest was not an act of revenge, it comes against a backdrop of resentment among police ranks following Susno’s claims that several senior police officials took bribes in the Gayus case. A general was removed from his post and several investigators are being probed.
Susno’s lawyer, Henry Yosodingrat, said his client refused to sign his arrest warrant. He called the arrest baseless as it relied on the testimony of three witnesses who were implicated in the case: Sjahril, Syamsurizal and lawyer Haposan Hutagalung.
Haposan represented a Singaporean businessman in a dispute with his partner over the fish farm. He is alleged to have given Susno cash to get the case to trial.
Sjahril’s involvement is known because when revealing the alleged Gayus case bribery at a House of Representatives hearing on April 8, Susno identified a “Mr. X” whom he said had also played a role in settling the dispute. “Mr. X” was later identified as Sjahril.
But Henry said claims of Susno’s involvement made no sense. “Susno was blamed for receiving Rp 500 million from Haposan via Sjahril. This does not make sense. Remember that Susno was the first to unveil this case to the public, and it would be so stupid if he had opened up a case where he was involved,” he said.
Bambang Widodo Umar, a legal analyst from the University of Indonesia, said people would inevitably speculate that Susno’s arrest was motivated by revenge for his outspokenness. Susno had played a crucial role in unraveling the greater problem of case brokers, he said.
House Speaker Marzuki Alie said the arrest could set a bad precedent. “If a three-star general and a former chief detective is detained for reporting a corruption allegation, how will a common citizen have the courage to report misconduct?” he said. Investigators should first finish probing Susno’s report about police corruption, he added.
