JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Police Commissioner General Sutarman has been sworn in Friday (Oct 25) as new Chief of National Police replacing General Timur Pradopo who will enter his mandatory retirement age.
The inauguration ceremony led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took place at the State Palace in Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, this afternoon.
Sutarman previously served as Chief of the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim). He was nominated by SBY to the House of Representatives (DPR) as the sole candidate for a new Chief of National Police.
Born in Sukoharjo, Central Java on October 5, 1957, Sutarman was graduated from the Police Academy in 1981.
Sutarman’s career has sky-rocketed after he served as adjutant of the late President Abdurrahman Wahid (popularly known as Gus Dur). After that, he served various strategic positions – such as Chief of the Jakarta Police, Chief of the West Java Police, and Chief of Kepulauan Riau Police – before appointed as Chief of the National Police Detective Unit in July 2011.
Sutarman, based on his 2012 wealth report filed to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), revealed that his total wealth reached Rp5.35 billion and US$24,200, the second wealthiest Police General among 11 Police Generals previously assessed by the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) as candidates of new Chief of the National Police.
However, observers and anti-corruption activists earlier expressed their doubts and pessimism over the National Police under Sutarman’s leadership as Sutarman has not have any remarkable achievement or special track record. Moreover, they pointed to a lot of delayed cases and as well as previous conflict between police and the Anti-Graft KPK under Sutarman’s tenure as Bareskrim Chief. (haryantos@yosefardi.biz)