Police Chief To Clarify Information From PPATK

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said he would clarify information he received from the chairman of the Financial Transactions Analysis  and Reporting Center (PPATK) about  transfers of funds from illegal drug big shot Freddy Budiman.  
   
Tito, however, refused to reveal the information he got from PPAT Chairman M. Jusuf during their meeting on Tuesday.

M. Jusuf met Tito on Tuesday believed to discuss alleged transfers of funds to the bank accounts of unnamed high ranking police officials of the country's law enforcement agencies by Freddy who was among the four drug convicts executed late last month.

"I would not announce the result of the meeting. The information from PPATK is highly confidential," Tito said here on Thursday.

He promised though that he would  find the truth and would clarify the information.

"We are committed. Whatever the  information from PPAT  would be clarified," he said.

Earlier, Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Haris Azhar made public alleged testimony of Freddy saying he had given hundreds of billions of rupiahs to officials of the country's law enforcement agencies  to protect his illicit business.

"In my calculation in the years of work to smuggle narcotics , I have given Rp450 billion to BNN (National Narcotics Agency)  officials. I have given Rp90 billion to  police officials. I even drove with a two star military general in his car," Freddy was quoted as saying  in 2014 as written by Haris in his article titled "Rotten story of a bandit."

Police as well as BNN and the military have  each set up an team to investigate the allegation.

Tito, however, did not involve the police's fact finding team (TPFG) in the Tuesday's meeting between Tito and M. Jusuf.

Chairman of TPFG, Comr.Gen. Dwi Priyatno said his team and police are still working to collect information  and data from a number of witnesses.

Haris, who wrote the story immediately after execution of Freddy has apparently angered BNN, police and the military which have reported him to the police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) for defamation.  
   
President Joko Widodo has been urged to set up a separate  independent team to  investigate the allegation. (WDY)