Prosecutor Cecar Witness Riezky Aprilia: Don't Be Hasto's Name Profited

Former member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDIP faction, Riezky Aprilia, was tried at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Wednesday, May 7. (Rizky A-VOI)

JAKARTA - The Public Prosecutor (JPU) questioned a former member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDI-P (PDIP) faction, Riezky Aprilia, who concluded that Hasto Kristiyanto was the giver of orders when Seful Bahri asked him to resign as a elected Legislative Candidate (Caleg). This is because there are concerns that the name of the Secretary General (Secretary General) of the PDIP is only painted.

It started when the prosecutor questioned Riezky Aprilia's way of ensuring that Saeful Bahri's delivery to her was indeed on Hasto Kristiyanto's orders. Moreover, the two have only met once.

"The witness first met Saeful, how can the witness believe that what Saeful said from the Secretary General. Maybe, we are worried about Saeful taking the name (Hasto), how does the witness prove that this is true. Is there a message conveyed by Saeful after being contacted by the secretary general?" asked the prosecutor during a trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Wednesday, May 7.

At that time, Riezky said that he concluded that the request was on the orders of the Secretary General because Saeful Bahri had repeatedly conveyed this.

"What is certain is that what I understand is that the Secretary General's order came out of Saeful's mouth many times. And then in front of me to confirm that he called Donny Tri Istiqomah," he said.

"In that conversation, as far as I remember Donny Tri, he said, 'I will talk to the Secretary General later'. The issue of the proximity to the secretary general or on the orders of the secretary general, which I understand, was based on verbal from Saeful Bahri and Donny Tri because there was a conversation on the phone," he continued.

Then the prosecutor said that Saeful contacted Donny to convince the witness because his request to resign as an elected candidate was rejected.

"Yes, because I insisted, I brought the data that was not received from Donny Tri yesterday, how come suddenly I was told to back down with a more or less conversation between Donny and Saeful and asked for C1 data. It's funny for me," said Riezky.

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 strives for the KPU to approve the request for an interim replacement (PAW) for the Elected Legislative Candidate for the Electoral Region (Dapil) of South Sumatra (Sumsel) I on behalf of the Members of the DPR 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.

Thus, 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.