President Gives Three Months to Solve Novel’s Case

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Nur Kholis, the spokesman of the National Police’s fact-finding team (TPF) assigned to investigate the acid attack on Novel Baswedan, briefs reporters about the team’s findings on Wednesday (17/7/2019) at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta. Nur said that the TPF had discovered three unknown individuals that might be connected to the attack on the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) senior investigator, and recommended that the National Police chief form a technical field team to follow up on its findings.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says he hopes the National Police technical team can solve the acid attack on Novel Baswedan in three months. He has yet to form a joint fact-finding team (TGPF) as he hopes the National Police will be able to solve the case.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The President has said that he gave the National Police technical team three months to solve the acid attack on Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) senior investigator Novel Baswedan, which occurred on 11 April 2017. The police are optimistic that they will be able to fulfill the target.

“I wish to thank the TPF [fact-finding team] for handing me the results [of its investigation], which must be followed up by an investigation of all the allegations. If the National Police chief asks for six months’ time to solve the case, I say that the technical team must be able to do it in three months,” the President said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday (19/7/2019).

The TPF, formed by National Police chief Gen. Tito Karvanian based on the National Commission on Human Rights’ (Komnas HAM) recommendation, did not give any clear conclusions on who attacked Novel and what their motives might have been. After working for six months, on Wednesday, the TPF only announced that the attack on Novel might have been linked to cases he was working on. The TPF also found that three unidentified persons were present around Novel’s house in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, before the acid attack.

The TPF then recommended that the National Police form a field technical team to follow up on its findings.

The President said the attack on Novel was not an easy case to solve. However, he said he hoped the police’s technical team, which will start working next week, would shed more light into the case. The progress of the team’s work will be monitored in three months.

“Don’t ask me what to do every time there is a problem. What will the National Police chief do then?” the President said.

Separately, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he believed the police would be able to solve the case.

“We have figured out the background. Now, it’s about finding the perpetrators. The police are experts in this. They can even find terrorists in hiding. Now, we have early evidence,” Kalla said.

Joint team

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said the President wished for a swift investigation in Novel’s case. This is why he gave the police only three months to solve it, instead of six months as per the original request.

Thus far, the President has yet to establish a TGPF for the case as he believes the authorities will be able to solve it.

“If everything is taken over by the President, what will his subordinates do? The President must not be burdened by technical matters, as they will disrupt strategic work. The police must handle the technical matters,” Moeldoko said.

There are also concerns that the TGPF’s establishment will bring the investigation back to square one. According to Moeldoko, the public trusts the team.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Asep Adi Saputra said he was optimistic the police would be able to fulfill the deadline the President had given them.

“We remain optimistic. Since the incident, we have conducted an investigation. The government and Komnas HAM then recommended us to form a TPF, which has done the best to its ability,” Asep said.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

The National Police’s fact-finding team (TPF) assigned to investigate the acid attack on Novel Baswedan pose with National Police public relations head Mohammad Iqbal (third left) and a copy of their 2,700-page report during a press briefing on Wednesday (17/7/2019) at the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. The TPF said it had discovered three unknown individuals that might be connected to the 11 April 2017 attack on the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) senior investigator, and recommended that the National Police chief form a technical field team to follow up on its findings.

The first step the technical team would next week, he continued, would be to evaluate all the findings and investigation process the Jakarta Police investigation team had made from April 2017 to January 2019, along with the TPF’s findings. The evaluation includes further crime scene investigations.

“If it is considered important and necessary, we can do crime scene investigations multiple times. Crime scene investigations are not only about evidence but also witnesses. Perhaps, there are witnesses we haven’t talked to before,” Asep said.

The technical team will also coordinate with the KPK to look into possible motives behind the acid attack. The TPF said that there were five corruption cases handled by the KPK that might have been linked to the acid attack. (INA/SAN)