Adnan Topan Husodo, deputy chairman of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said arresting Nazaruddin would have been much harder than going after other fugitive suspects, such as businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti Daradjatun.

“Nunun still has family here. Her husband is here,” Adnan said. “She must be contacting them, and [the communications] could actually be traced.”

Adnan added that Nazaruddin’s arrest was the result of good collaboration between officials at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the National Police and Interpol, as well as the use of sophisticated technology to pinpoint his exact location.

Attempts at similar cooperation had proved fruitless with Nunun, Adnan said.

Boyamin Saiman, chairman of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (Maki), said that unlike Nunun, who has remained quiet, Nazaruddin chose to attack his colleagues in the Democratic Party, attracting the attention of the party’s leader, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Adnan questioned why Yudhoyono specifically instructed law enforcers to bring Nazaruddin back to the country but mentioned no other suspects in his speech.

Yunarto Wijaya, a political analyst from Charta Politika, said the government did not appear interested in arresting corruptors outside of Indonesia.

“What is required is political will from the government to enforce the law, which will pressure law enforcers to take prompt action,” he said.