House adjourns hearing with KPK for a day over Bibit, Chandra

JAKARTA. The House of Representatives’ legal commission has agreed to adjourn its hearing with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for a day, before it conducts an internal meeting to decide whether the two KPK deputy chiefs implicated in a graft case can take part in the next hearing.

The deputy head of the Commission III overseeing legal affairs, Tjatur Sapto Edy, said after adjourning a hearing with the KPK on Monday, that some factions objected to the two KPK deputies’ presence because of their suspect status in a bribery and extortion case.

“The Attorney General’s Office has issued a deponeering letter, but that means their status will remain as suspects. Some factions cannot accept this. Others see no problem,” Tjatur told reporters.

The AGO has decided to halt its probe into the case allegedly involving Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M. Hamzah with the issuance of the deponeering letter.

It has done so on the basis of the greater public interest with the public widely believing that the two KPK deputies were framed in an attempt to weaken the KPK.

The Monday hearing was earlier scheduled for 10 a.m. to discuss a number of cases handled by the KPK, but until 11 a.m. lawmakers debated if Bibit and Chandra should be present at the hearing.

It was then adjourned for around half an hour before Tjatur, heading the hearing session, announced that it would be further adjourned until Tuesday.

He added that the commission would conduct an internal meeting at 2 p.m. to decide whether Bibit and Chandra should be present at Tuesday's hearing. (Erwida Maulia/The Jakarta Post)