KPK Investigators Unload Leadership Statement About 'Who Dares To Suspect Hasto'

The Secretary General (Sekjen) of the PDIP, Hasto Kristiyanto, is considered to have 'big power'. In fact, a high-ranking Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) official said that no one dared to suspect him.

This statement was conveyed by KPK investigator, Arif Budi Raharjo, while testifying at the trial of the alleged bribery case for the management of interim replacement (PAW) members of the DPR and the obstruction of investigations for the defendant Hasto.

The Public Prosecutor (JPU) in the trial studied Arif's testimony by directly questioning the context of the sentence 'who dares to suspect Hasto'.

"The permission of our assembly to ask this witness again, now this is a witness, that at this opportunity moment it returned to too much confusing news and so on, we need confirmation when the witness stated who was on the exposure. Up on 9 (January 2020) yes. As far as the witness is concerned, is there a statement, 'who dares Hasto to be a suspect' even though the defendant is currently here, we just need confirmation that this is a ubiquitous issue so that it becomes a fact, everyone knows that the witness is there. Can you please convey it?" asked the prosecutor at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Friday, May 16.

Arif agreed with the sentence by mentioning that there was a KPK leader who conveyed it before the exposure process was terminated or closed.

But it was not clearly conveyed the figure of the KPK leader. However, from the information obtained by the anti-corruption agency official in question, namely Nawawi Pomolango.

"So approaching, after we read out the conclusions from the exposure and then the leadership commented on what the results of our investigation, before closing, at that time because Pak Firli was out of town, Plt or the replacement for the chairman at that time, it gave a statement as you said earlier, 'who dared to suspect Hasto's brother before the exposure was closed,' said Arif.

In the alleged bribery case, Hasto was jointly charged with advocate Donny Tri Istiqomah; the former convict of the Harun Masiku case, Saeful Bahri; and Harun Masiku gave money amounting to 57,350 Singapore dollars or equivalent to Rp600 million to Wahyu in the 2019-2020 period.

The money is allegedly given with the aim that Wahyu seeks the KPU to approve an interim replacement request (PAW) for the Elected Legislative Candidate for the Electoral Region (Dapil) of South Sumatra (Sumsel) I on behalf of DPR Members for the 2019-2024 period Riezky Aprilia to Harun Masiku.

In addition, Hasto was also charged with obstructing the investigation by ordering Harun, through the Aspiration House guard, Nur Hasan, to submerge Harun's cell phone into the water after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested members of the General Election Commission (KPU) for the 2017-2022 period Wahyu Setiawan.

Not only Harun Masiku's cellphone, Hasto is also said to have ordered his aide, Kusnadi, to drown his cell phone in anticipation of forced attempts by KPK investigators.

Hasto is threatened with a crime as regulated in Article 21 and Article 5 Paragraph (1) letter a or Article 13 of Law (UU) Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 65 Paragraph (1) and Article 55 Paragraph (1) 1 jo. Article 64 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.