Indonesian senior policeman quits amid rising anger over junior officer’s murder scandal

Ferdy Sambo is a suspect in the killing of a junior cop, whose death was initially portrayed by the police as a result of a gunfight with another officer

Several officers have been suspended over the case and some politicians had called for the resignation of the national police chief

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Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of Ferdy Sambo during a raid in Jakarta on August 9. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:36am, 25 Aug 2022Updated: 11:41am, 25 Aug 2022

One of Indonesia’s highest ranking police officers has resigned amid investigations into an alleged cover-up involving the death of a junior policeman that has ignited public anger and fuelled criticisms of abuse of power.

The scandal is widely seen as a major setback for the national police force that has been trying to regain public trust following long-standing complaints of corruption and brutality.

The police chief of internal affairs Ferdy Sambo submitted his resignation though that is still being assessed, said the head of the national police force Listyo Sigit Prabowo at a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday. Listyo did not elaborate on the reasons for the resignation.

Ferdy was named a suspect and charged with the premeditated murder of a junior officer, whose death was initially portrayed by the police as a result of a gunfight with another officer. The junior police officer Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat was Sambo’s bodyguard and accused of sexually assaulting his wife at their residence, the police had previously claimed.

Several officers have since been suspended over the case and some politicians are calling for the resignation of the national police chief.