Indonesia’s former top detective detained by police on allegations of accepting a bribe

Indonesia’s ex-top detective questioned on bribery

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s former chief detective, who recently exposed a major corruption case involving government and police officials, has been detained on allegations that he accepted a bribe in 2008.

Gen. Susno Duadji was detained and questioned for several hours Monday after it was alleged that he accepted as much as 500 million rupiah ($55,000), said police spokesman Maj. Gen. Edward Aritonang.

The allegation relates to a dispute between two businessmen involved in a fish-breeding project in Riau province. A suspect in the case, Sjahril Djohan, accused Duadji of accepting the bribe while he was chief detective of the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency.

Duadji, a three-star police general, has denied any wrongdoing and told reporters that the police team investigating his case is biased.

Duadji has made enemies for being outspoken about corruption within police ranks, but some say Duadji has also broken the law.

Aritonang said Duadji’s detention had nothing to do with his outspokenness.

“We suspect he broke the corruption law by taking bribes and gratuities,” Aritonang told reporters.

Duadji resigned from his police post last November amid a wave of public rage over escalating and widespread corruption. He was accused of plotting to undermine the Corruption Eradication Commission after ordering the arrest of two of members for alleged blackmail and bribery. The charges were later dropped.

Although he was silent on corruption while in the job, since his resignation Duadji has publicly implicated a tax department official, several high-ranking police officials and a judge in corruption, leading to their detentions. The tax official, Gayus Tambunan, was on the run in Singapore before being detained last month on charges of accumulating some $3.9 million in kickbacks for producing favorable tax assessments.

Before he was detained, Duadji’s lawyers had told reporters that he would publicize other huge corruption cases involving top officials.

Duadji’s wife, Herawati, asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday to pay special attention to her husband’s case.