Police Commissioner General Budi Gunawan, President Joko Widodo’s sole candidate to become the National Police chief
The unfolding political drama over President Joko Widodo’s pick of graft-suspect Budi Gunawan to become the new head of the National Police took a drastic turn this afternoon… possibly.
The Jakarta Post quoted a “source at the Presidential Palace” as saying that Jokowi had forced current National Police chief Gen. Sutarman to take early retirement.
Sutarman, as you might remember from our story earlier today, has been trying to block Budi’s appointment as Top Cop by arranging an internal police ethics hearing related to the corruption charges he is suspected of by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The Jakarta Post source also said National Police’s Detective Division Head Suhardi Alius had been reassigned to a new post for his opposition to Budi.
“Figures in the top ranks who strongly opposed Budi’s nomination as police chief have been replaced,” The Jakarta Post quoted their anonymous source as saying.
If Sutarman has indeed been forced into retirement, then its been done in secret so far because both the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security, Tejo Edhy Purdijatno, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have both reiterated that Sutarman was still acting as National Police Chief.
“Until the inauguration [of a new chief of police], the old one is still active until the inauguration and handover. So General Sutarman is still the police chief,” Tejo said at the State Palace on Friday, as quoted by Detik.
Tedjo claimed he had not discussed the scandal regarding the police chief position with President Jokowi.
“There has been no further discussion. Nobody has been forced to step down,” Tejo said.
