SUMMARY:

On Friday, April 17, Badrodin Haiti was inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as the new National Police chief at the State Palace. A number of high-profile government officials attended the ceremony, including House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Setya Novanto, military top brass, members of the National Police Commission, as well as Corruption Eradication Commissioners (KPK) Taufiequrrachman Ruki, Indriyanto Seno Adji, Johan Budi, and Zulkarnain. Kompas pointed out that Budi Gunawan, whose nomination as police chief was ultimately dropped following the corruption charges brought against him, was notably absent from the ceremony, given that he has been tapped to become the deputy police chief. KPK Commissioners said that they hoped Haiti’s inauguration would mark the end of recent conflicts with the police, and would lead to a restoration of a positive working relationship between the two law enforcement agencies. Haiti responded by saying that he planned to fully support the KPK and its work to tackle corruption.

In order to fill the vacancy created by Haiti’s promotion, the police’s high ranking promotions and duty rotation council (Wanjakti) announced plans on Friday, April 17, that it would move quickly to begin theprocess to select a deputy police chief. Budi Gunawan has been confirmed as one of the candidates, following President Jokowi’s visit to the DPR last week.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

Monday, April 13 – Hadi Poernomo withdraws pre-trial motion

Monday, April 13 – South Jakarta District Court annuls pre-trial motion of Sutan Bhatoegana

Monday, April 13 – Jero Wacik skips first KPK summons in mining and natural resources case

Monday, April 13 – ICW renews MoU on government procurement data

Tuesday, April 14 – Police search offices of online payment gateway vendors

Tuesday, April 14 – Police postpone briefing on Budi Gunawan’s case after failure to coordinate with KPK, PPATK

Tuesday, April 14 – South Jakarta District Court rejects pre-trial motion of Suroso Atmo Martoyo

Wednesday, April 15 – DPR leaders visit home of Badrodin Haiti ahead of confirmation hearings

Thursday, April 16 – DPR confirms Badrodin Haiti as National Police chief

Thursday, April 16 – KPK questions PDI-P politician and businessman nabbed in raid

Friday, April 17 – Badrodin Haiti inaugurated as National Police chief

IMPLICATIONS:

Throughout the conflict between the KPK and the National Police, analysts have speculated a great deal about the relationship between Badrodin Haiti and Budi Waseso, who is widely seen as a proxy for Budi Gunawan. Though Haiti’s rhetoric has been notably more reserved than Waseso’s firebrand statements when it comes to cases against KPK staff and anti-corruption activists, it remains to be seen whether he actually differs in opinion from the BARESKRIM chief, or whether he simply prefers not to maintain a lower profile. The coming weeks will be telling, as Waseso has recently renewed threats of prosecution against inactive KPK commissioners Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto. On Friday, April 17, Haiti provided an indication that he was unlikely to alter the current political trajectory, saying that he would allow BARESKRIM a free hand to manage technical aspects of an investigation. In a separate statement, he was quoted as saying that investigations into Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojantowould continue.

Regarding Budi Gunawan’s promotion to deputy police chief, which is largely thought to be the crux of the political compromise struck at the DPR to clear the way for Haiti’s confirmation, President Jokowi andinterim KPK Commissioner Johan Budi have made it clear they want to keep the issue at arm’s length, avoiding a repeated decent into the political quagmire. It appears that both the President’s office and the KPK have come to terms with the fact that Gunawan will likely receive a promotion in the coming weeks – despite his questionable financial dealings – and instead focus their energy on other priority issues.

Information as of 5:30 p.m. WIB, April 17, 2015