Jakarta - Indonesian police named two deputy chairmen of the country's powerful anti-corruption body as suspects in a graft investigation. Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, two of the four deputy chiefs of the Corruption Eradication Commission, are being investigated for suspected abuse of power and extortion, Yovianus Mahar, the national police's director for the corruption investigation division, said late Tuesday night.
The two could face six years in jail if found guilty.
Police took action after the commission's chairman, Antasari Azhar, allegedly told investigators that his deputies accepted bribes from a businessman who is a suspect in a corruption case.
Azhar has been in police detention since May for his alleged involvement in a murder case.
The commission was created in 2003 to tackle endemic corruption with the power to arrest and prosecute suspects.
It has won praise from the Indonesian public for prosecuting senior officials and former officials embroiled in corruption cases.
But anti-graft activists said there have been systematic efforts by the legislature, government and other law enforcement agencies to weaken it following a series of successful prosecutions against high-profile figures.
