Read Pledoi, Hasto Cry Breaks When Alluding To Bung Karno And Megawati

The Secretary General of the PDI-P, Hasto Kristiyanto, could not hold back tears when reading a personal memorandum of defense or plea in the trial of the alleged bribery case for the administration of the interim replacement (PAW) of the DPR for the 2019-2024 period and the obstruction of the investigation of fugitive Harun Masiku.

In a trial held at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), Thursday, July 10, Hasto asked the panel of judges to give a fair verdict and consider the facts at trial. He denied all the charges and demands of the KPK prosecutors who charged him with a sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of Rp600 million.

Hasto's tears first broke when he conveyed the spirit of struggle inherited by President Soekarno and continued by PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri. He quoted Bung Karno's message about the unfinished revolution, as well as Megawati's call in 1993 which stated that I had flown the flag, never to be lowered.

Hasto's voice sounded shaking when he recalled the role of PDIP as a complaint for democracy in difficult times. He again shed tears when he recalled the tragedy of 27 July 1996 or Kudatuli, when the PDI office was invaded by forces which he called a form of state intervention against the party.

According to him, this incident became a symbol of the party's courage in dealing with repression in order to defend the rights of the oppressed people. He emphasized that PDIP remained loyal to the path of democracy even when it had to stand out of power for 10 full years, from 2004 to 2014.

"Whatever the risk, the party continues to lead the movement of the people. The party is driven by ideas and ideals to realize justice and prosperity. In the PDI-P, the spirit of struggle is always burning," said Hasto while sobbing.

In a 108-page plea read out for almost three hours, Hasto rejected all allegations by the prosecutor who stated that he was involved in giving bribes to KPU Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan to smooth out PAW Harun Masiku replacing Riezky Aprilia as a member of the DPR from the South Sumatra I electoral district.

He also denied having obstructed the investigation of Harun Masiku, including allegations that he ordered his aide to submerge his cell phone into the water in order to eliminate traces of communication.

According to Hasto, the prosecution's demands did not reflect the truth for ignoring the facts of the trial.

He called the case that ensnared him a form of political criminalization, especially because of the PDIP's political stance on a number of national issues, such as the rejection of the Israeli national team's presence in international sporting events.

He also asked the panel of judges to release him from all charges and restore his dignity which had been tarnished due to this legal process.

In the previous trial, the Public Prosecutor stated that Hasto was legally and convincingly proven to have violated Article 5 paragraph (1) letter a and Article 21 of the Corruption Crime Act, in conjunction with Article 55 and Article 64 of the Criminal Code. The prosecutor believes that Hasto and Harun Masiku and several other parties have given bribes of Rp600 million to influence the PAW process at the KPU.

The panel of judges is scheduled to read out the verdict in the near future.