Petak Umpet Harun Masiku From The KPK Chase

KPK Building (Wardhany Tsa Tsia/VOI)

JAKARTA - The suspect in bribing the former commissioner of the General Election Commission (KPU) Wahyu Setiawan, namely Harun Masiku is still a fugitive. Since being named a suspect, his whereabouts are not certain.

Like a game of hide and seek, Harun Masiku is hiding somewhere from being chased by the KPK. The Directorate General (Ditjen) of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said that Harun had left Indonesia since January 6, or two days before the KPK's arrest operation (OTT).

The latest traces known to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) show that Harun is still in Singapore and has not returned. However, rumors circulated that Harun had returned to Indonesia and was hiding from the KPK's pursuit.

There was an assumption that the traces of Harun Masiku's whereabouts, which are now a public discussion, were deliberately hidden. Moreover, this case also dragged one of the top PDI Perjuangan officials, where Harun took shelter.

"Why is HM (Harun Masiku) hidden? If you look at the construction of the case, there are several odd things besides the series of attempts to conduct PAW, namely WS (Wahyu Setiawan) does not know HM, bribes of approximately Rp900 million and it is also strange that HM as a legislative candidate entrusts Rp900 million in bribes is only for secretariat employees or assistant to the secretary general, "said criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hadjar in a short message to VOI, Monday, January 20.

The Criminal Law lecturer at Trisakti University suspects that Harun was deliberately hidden because of the many irregularities in the bribery case related to the interim replacement (PAW) of members of the Indonesian Parliament for the 2019-2024 period. Not to mention the suspicion about Harun's whereabouts which were hidden by certain parties which was also related to the failure of KPK investigators to inspect one of the rooms in the PDIP DPP office.

Another irregularity that Fickar saw regarding this case was the suspicion that Harun Masiku was already aware of the KPK's silent operation. So, if the candidates running from the South Sumatra I Electoral District are not hidden, then Harun's presence can reveal pieces of irregularities in the incidents of the KPK OTT which are still gray.

"HM's statement will open and explain the real events," said Fickar.

In addition to mentioning that there was an attempt to conceal Harun, Fickar also assessed that the PDIP was also filled with feelings of panic considering that this case also grazed the name of Hasto Kristiyanto. This can be seen from the formation of a legal team and trying to defend it, including reporting on the silent operation.

"The team's defense targets everywhere, for example reporting KPK investigators to the Supervisory Board, even though they are doing judicial work according to their function. In addition, a member of the DPR controls illegal investigations, reports the press criminally, etc. This act seems to describe PDIP 'panic', "said Fickar.

From all the allegations he mentioned, Fickar then asked not to let it happen because the PDIP was trying to save someone and then it was detrimental to all parties.

"Efforts to save a damaged person, what happens will actually damage the party, press, and the KPK all," he said.

KPK for the period of Firli Bahuri cs (Wardhany Tsa Tsia / VOI)

The KPK is getting slow

Apart from the suspicion of the parties who deliberately hid Harun Masiku from being chased by the KPK. Fickar also believes that the performance of anti-corruption institutions in the current period has actually changed with the enactment of Law Number 19 of 2019.

"The KPK is entering an era with a new system, which is clearly not independent, slow, and seems to be controlled by outsiders. This is the result of a weakening system which the president calls strengthening," said Fickar while criticizing the KPK's performance which is no longer nimble in investigating corruption cases.

Fickar's statement which states that if the KPK is now slow and weak, it may also be agreed by the public. However, President Joko Widodo still believes that this anti-graft agency will not weaken in the disclosure of corruption cases.

Moreover, at the beginning of the year there were already two silent operations carried out by this institution led by Firli Bahuri cs. "The proof is that I have told the KPK to do OTT, to the regents and the KPU, even though the commissioner is still new, his Dewas is still new," said Jokowi at the time to reporters at the Presidential Palace, on Friday, January 17.

Even though he believes that the KPK is still vicious, Jokowi agrees that there is homework regarding the derivative rules of the new KPK Law, including making or updating the existing regulations.

But unfortunately Jokowi was reluctant to comment more. "And I don't want to say much, it will be considered as an intervention," Jokowi added.

Previously reported, the KPK has appointed the former commissioner of the General Election Commission (KPU) Wahyu Setiawan as a suspect in receiving bribes related to the appointment of members of the Indonesian Parliament for the 2019-2024 period. He was appointed as a recipient of bribes, along with Agustiani Tio Fridelina (ATF) who is a former member of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) who are his confidants.

The givers of bribes were Harun Masiku (HAR) who was a candidate from the PDI-P in the 2019 Pileg and Saeful who was called a private party but was suspected of being one of the party's top staff.

In this case, Wahyu is said to have asked for an operational fee of Rp. 900 million to change the results of the KPU plenary regarding PAW members of the DPR RI to replace Nazarudin Kiemas who was a PDIP candidate from the South Sumatra I electoral district who died.