Firli Bahuri Becomes a Suspect

FIRLI Bahuri is a parasite in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). As the leader of the anti-graft agency, he has eroded the KPK from within. Instead of preserving the dignity of the Commission, his actions have frequently been at odds with the values of corruption eradication. The alleged extortion of former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo involving Firli is the latest example. Jakarta Metropolitan Police named him a suspect for extortion and accepting gratuities from Syahrul, who at the time was being investigated by the KPK for extortion and bribery at the Ministry of Agriculture.

The naming of Firli Bahuri as a suspect is a historical low in the fight against corruption. He is the first KPK chair to become a corruption suspect since the institution was established in December 2003. As well as damaging the image of the KPK, Firli has caused public confidence in the institution to plummet. In the Firli era, the KPK’s credibility has fallen into the gutter.

The retired three-star police general met with Syahrul on a badminton court when the KPK was investigating the alleged corruption by the NasDem Party politician. Firli’s actions could result in him being jailed for five years for breaking the rule, forbidding a law enforcement officer from meeting with a person involved in a case.

Suspicions about extortion and gratuities that Firli Bahuri accepted are strengthened by various items of evidence held by the police, including documents regarding the exchange of foreign currency in the form of Singapore and United States dollars from February to September 2023. The total sum exchanged was Rp7.4 billion (around US$477,000). Other evidence held by investigators, such as the testimony of 91 witnesses confirming the events, was enough for the police to name Firli a suspect.

Apparently, due to dragging his feet, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto repeatedly delayed the case hearing. These suspicions of delaying matters are not without reason. At the same time, KPK investigators were investigating the role of Muhammad Suryo in alleged corruption related to the construction of twin rail tracks in Central Java. The businessperson is known to be close to Karyoto. Firli is also believed to have launched a counterattack against Karyoto by ordering KPK investigators to target Suryo.

These two Police Academy classmates seemed to be ready to reveal the dirt. The KPK leadership named Muhammad Suryo a suspect for bribery not long after Firli was named a suspect for extortion.

These mutual revelations of wrongdoing will be good for the endeavor to eradicate corruption. The hope is that one corrupt individual can implicate another, much like a row of falling dominoes. The Javanese saying, “if one falls, they all fall,” which is often used to express concern about the collapse in credibility of state institutions, could in fact restore public trust in the KPK and the police.

Therefore, as long as there is enough evidence, there is no reason for the KPK not to name Surya a suspect, as well as revealing Karyoto’s role in the case. This is important to stop Firli and Karyoto holding each other hostage, which could obscure the handling of this corruption case.

There is no need for Jakarta Metro Police to worry about Firli Bahuri’s request for a pre-trial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court. Jakarta Police should reveal all the facts behind the extortion involving Firli so the people can also monitor the case. Firli must not be allowed to escape justice through this pre-trial hearing because of a lack of transparency in the process.

After all, Firli’s frenetic lobbying has not produced any results. Before being named a suspect, he tried to meet with President Joko Widodo to ask for assistance so that the investigation into him would require permission from the president. Firli is also known to have met twice with National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo to ask for the case to be halted. Both these efforts failed.

The Firli case has opened our eyes to the fact that the decision by Jokowi and the House of Representatives to reduce the authority of the anti-corruption agency through the revised KPK Law has wrecked the institution from the inside. The entry of Firli and a number of other people of poor integrity was only a small part of the plan to destroy the KPK.