Before the Jakarta Metropolitan Police named Firli Bahuri as a suspect in the extortion case involving Syahrul Yasin Limpo amounting to 1 billion dollars, they proceeded to further examine Firli Bahuri’s statement with witnesses, expert witnesses, letters, electronic evidence, and physical evidence to determine the consistency of the witnesses’ statements with Firli Bahuri’s statement in order to find at least two pieces of evidence. After the Jakarta Metropolitan Police found at least two pieces of evidence, they declared Firli Bahuri as a suspect.
Based on the appointment of Firli Bahuri as a suspect by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Firli Bahuri was given the opportunity to voluntarily resign from his position as the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). However, since Firli Bahuri refused to step down, President Joko Widodo, through a presidential decree, revoked Firli Bahuri’s position as the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and appointed Nawawi Pomolango as his replacement. The purpose of this appointment is to ensure the continuation of the fight against corruption and to address all corruption cases and related correspondence, as the position of the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should not remain vacant for too long.
After President Joko Widodo revoked Firli Bahuri’s position as the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Firli Bahuri no longer has the authority to lead as an official of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in handling corruption cases, including correspondence related to the handling of corruption cases, in accordance with the applicable laws in society.
The revocation of Firli Bahuri’s position as the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) aims to ensure that Firli Bahuri can focus on facing his case at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police. This is to prevent situations like before, where Firli Bahuri frequently evaded police summons, citing official duties in Sumatra, which hindered the progress of his case.
As the former Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Firli Bahuri should have been detained by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police for three reasons:
a. There is a concern that Firli Bahuri may flee, which would result in the inability to resolve his case in court and create a backlog in the resolution of the case until the suspect is found.
b. There is a concern that Firli Bahuri may influence witnesses to provide false testimony in court, which could lead to the weak or insufficient evidence and the possibility of Firli Bahuri being acquitted by the judge.
c. There is a concern that Firli Bahuri may tamper with or destroy evidence, rendering it unusable and weakening the prosecution’s case in court.
It appears that as of December 23, 2023, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police has not yet detained Firli Bahuri, which suggests that the handling of Firli Bahuri’s case by the police may be discriminatory. It is suspected that this is because Firli Bahuri is a fellow police officer, holding a higher rank of three stars compared to the two-star rank of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief, resulting in special treatment and the absence of detention for Firli Bahuri. However, if someone else commits corruption, they are immediately detained once declared a suspect, and the actions of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police violate the principle of criminal law, which is Equality Before The Law, meaning that anyone who commits corruption and is declared a suspect should be punished, including Firli Bahuri, the former Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), without exception. The police should adhere to the principle of the Rule of Law, where the law is the highest authority of all state institutions, manifested through court decisions.
The author hopes that the Metro Jaya Police will arrest Firli Bahuri, the former Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), to prevent him from fleeing and to expedite the resolution of his case in accordance with the principles of the court for swift case resolution. It is important to avoid prolonged handling of the case, which could harm Firli Bahuri, who wants a quick resolution and to know the punishment imposed by the judge.
Before the judge makes a decision, the suspect always wonders what the punishment will be. Once the punishment is known and there is certainty, the suspect can consider whether the judge’s decision is fair or too lenient. If it is deemed too lenient, Firli Bahuri has 7 days to file an appeal to the High Court. However, if the decision of the High Court is also considered too heavy, the suspect has 14 days to file a cassation to the Supreme Court. The decision of the Supreme Court is the final decision and there is no further legal recourse.
In this case, Firli Bahuri must accept with a heavy heart the decision of the Supreme Court, and his status will change to become a prisoner. He will then serve his sentence in a correctional facility according to the judge’s decision. The punishment imposed by the judge corresponds to the act of corruption committed by Firli Bahuri, namely extortion against Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the former Minister of Agriculture, amounting to 1 billion dollars.
