National Police Chief: Join the Ranks or Leave

KOMPAS

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo explained the case of Inspector General Ferdy Sambo to Commission III of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (24/8/2022).

During a hearing at the House of Representatives Commission III, the chief of the National Police was asked about the murder of Brigadier J and Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo’s involvement. Today, Ferdy is scheduled to undergo an ethics trial.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said that the murder of Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat or Brig. J was a bitter pill for the police to swallow. He emphasized that the police are ready to make changes to restore public trust. Police officers who weren’t ready are given two choices: join the ranks or leave.

Also read:

> National Police Internal Supervision Needs to be Reorganized

> Time to Rectify the Police’s Internal Affairs

During a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission III at the House complex in Senayan, Jakarta on Wednesday, police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo was bombarded with questions from members of the House Commission III. The meeting, which started at 10 a.m., ended at 8:30 p.m, including two one-hour breaks. Of the 54 House Commission III members, 45 of them had questions.

Some asked about the motive behind the murder, information regarding an alleged gambling network at Ferdy Sambo, an evaluation of the police’s internal affairs because of the Sambo case, as well as the Kilometer-50 Cikampek toll road case.

Most of the questions were related to the murder of Brig. J, which involved former internal affairs head Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo. Some asked about the motive behind the murder, information regarding an alleged gambling network at Ferdy Sambo, an evaluation of the police’s internal affairs because of the Sambo case, as well as the Kilometer-50 Cikampek toll road case.

In response to those questions, Listyo said that the police was committed to disclosing Nofrianyah’s murder as is, without covering anything up. This is to show the transparent and objective police work so that the results can be accounted for to the public.

“What happened was a tragedy for us because it impacted our families and the rest of the police force, including those who died and those who became suspects. But this was a bitter pill for us to swallow and we must improve the police as an institution,” said Listyo.

KOMPAS

Illustration: Brigadier J, Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, and Putri Candrawathi

He stressed that the police are now ready to make changes. The National Police will be united and firm in realizing that commitment. “For those who cannot do so, the option is to leave. We must protect the image of the police, the dignity of the police. Because what is at stake right now is how we can remedy the public’s trust,” he said.

Five people have been named as suspects in the Nofriansyah murder case. They are Insp Gen. Ferdy Sambo and his wife Putri Candrawathi, along with three others, including two of Ferdy’s aides, Second Agent Richard Eliezer, Brig. Ricky Rizal and Ferdy’s household assistant, Kuat Maruf.

The police have handed the case files of Ferdy, Richard, Ricky and Kuat to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Putri is to be questioned as a suspect either on Thursday or Friday. Moreover, up to now, the police’s Special Inspectorate has examined 97 police officers. As many as 35 of them are suspected of ethics code violations. Of that number, 16 officers are being held at the Mobila Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob), while two others have been detained after being determined as suspects. The rest are still being processed.

In the meantime, however, he revealed that the motive behind the murder was related to issues of indecency in Magelang, Central Java. In that report, Ferdy was angered.

The National Police chief added that they are currently waiting for the results of Putri’s examination to determine the motive behind Nofriansyah’s murder. In the meantime, however, he revealed that the motive behind the murder was related to issues of indecency in Magelang, Central Java. In that report, Ferdy was angered.

“This is also to say that the issues of sexual assault and infidelity are both being investigated. So far, we are only concerned with those issues. Of course, we will confirm this tomorrow after the final examination [of Putri],” said Listyo.

In addition to Putri’s examination on Thursday, Ferdy will also be undergoing an ethics code trial. This trial will determine whether or not Ferdy can still be a police officer. Meanwhile, regarding the other 35 officers suspected of ethics violations, the Special Inspectorate must first sort out the significance of their respective roles. From there, the ethics code trial committee can appropriately impose sanctions according to the weight of their role.

KOMPAS/NORBERTUS ARYA DWIANGGA MARTIAR

Inspector General Ferdy Sambo's official residence after Ferdy's determination as a suspect, Wednesday (10/8/2022).

Following the meeting with House Commission III, the police chief revealed that he had received Ferdy’s resignation letter. However, the ethics committee is still considering whether the letter can be processed or not. “There is a letter [of resignation]. But the trial committee is still considering it because there are regulations in place,” said Listyo.

Researcher from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) politics and social change department, D. Nicky Fahrizal, said that if the police chief wanted to be serious in setting an example of upholding professional police ethics, that resignation letter should be ignored.

The police chief must let the ethics committee decide the ethical consequences of Ferdy’s actions and the degree of his wrongdoings. The ethical process should be a shared learning experience to remind the police of the professional responsibility proclaimed during their oath of office. The police also have an inherent professional code of ethics that must be followed.

Quick action

In the meeting, House Commission III member Aboe Bakar Al-Habsyi said that the police must act quickly to recover from this case. Closing the case must be done with resilient force to restore public trust that has been eroded by this incident. The public no longer trusts the police because from the beginning, the information that the police conveyed regarding the case did not make sense.

However, the police chief later revealed that the incident was fabricated by Ferdy to obscure what really happened, namely the premeditated murder of Brig. J.

Initially, the police said that the incident in Duren Tiga involved a shootout between Ferdy’s aide, Second Agent Richard and Brig. J. However, the police chief later revealed that the incident was fabricated by Ferdy to obscure what really happened, namely the premeditated murder of Brig. J.

“Many people don’t believe in the police. Moreover, there have been so many speculations in relation to this case, such as online gambling. These are things that must be disclosed by the police chief. This storm hitting the police must be used to clean up the institution to maintain the public’s trust in them,” said Aboe.

House Commission III deputy chairman Adies Kadir revealed that apart from the impact of the Brig. J murder case, the decline in public trust was also due to lower-ranking police officers’ behavior and display of their high life.

Meanwhile, House Commission III deputy chairman Desmond J. Mahesa questioned why so many police officers were involved in disclosing the case.

(This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia)