The Desire Of The Deputy For Enforcement And Execution Of The KPK To Arrest Harun Masiku Is Considered Just Rhetoric

Aaron Masiku (Source: infocaleg.com)

JAKARTA - The attitude of the Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Karyoto is eager to arrest a fugitive in the bribery case for the management of the interim replacement (PAW) member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Harun Masiku, which is seen as mere rhetoric.

Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman said Karyoto's statement was seen as mere rhetoric. Because from the start, the KPK did not want to arrest the former PDI-P legislative candidate.

"It's just bogus rhetoric, it's not clear. Indeed (KPK, ed) from the start had no intention of arresting, so there was only rhetoric," Boyamin told VOI via text message, Wednesday, August 25.

He also made a similar statement for the KPK's request to NCB Interpol to issue a red notice. According to Boyamin, this rhetoric clearly occurred because Harun's name did not appear on Interpol's website, which allegedly occurred due to unfulfilled conditions.

"So this action can be categorized as not serious and back to mere rhetoric," he said.

According to Boyamin, this rhetoric will be carried out so that people forget about the bribery case which also involved former General Elections Commission (KPU) Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan. In fact, it's possible that Harun won't be caught and this rhetoric will last the case out of date.

Furthermore, Boyamin suspects that Harun is currently hiding abroad. It is suspected that the KPK fugitive had been in Singapore or an area in Malaysia.

In a press conference broadcast on the Indonesian KPK YouTube, Karyoto claimed to have known of Harun Masiku's whereabouts and was eager to arrest him if ordered. He said that the KPK chairman, Firli Bahuri, had actually given the order but there was no opportunity.

"I was very eager to arrest him if ordered. At that time, the Chairman had ordered, 'you go' but the opportunity was not there yet," he was quoted as saying on Tuesday, August 24.

Karyoto said the fugitive was no longer in Indonesia but was abroad. This is what makes the KPK confused about arresting Harun, especially in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

"We want to go there and are confused because the pandemic has been going on for several years," said Karyoto.

He also confirmed that the information on Harun Masiku's whereabouts did not come from one of the investigators who did not pass the National Insight Test (TWK), Harun Al-Rasyid. Moreover, from the start, Harun and the members of the task force who handled this case had known of the whereabouts of their target.

However, all of the KPK's movements are currently being blocked by COVID-19. "So no one wants to do this at all. As long as the person concerned is there and I can be sure that A1 is there, I'm ready to go if the place can be reached," said Karyoto.

However, he didn't want to reveal where Harun Masiku is now in order to prevent a shift in location.

"It's unethical and we shouldn't open it here because if he finds out we're looking for where he'll move later, we'll be confused again," Karyoto said, ending his statement.

Recalling the journey of the Harun Masiku case

Harun Masiku was named as a suspect in giving bribes to KPU Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan in January 2020. This bribery was carried out so that he could easily sit as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives through time shifts or PAW.

Harun's escape began when the KPK carried out an arrest operation regarding this case on January 8, 2020. In the silent operation, the KPK named four suspects, namely Harun Masiku, Wahyu Setiawan, former Bawaslu Member Agustiani Tio Fridelina, and Saeful Bahri.

It's just that Aaron, who was not caught by OTT, is unknown. He reportedly fled to Singapore and is said to have returned to Indonesia.

This case stems from the death of a PDIP candidate named Nazarudin Kiemas. In July 2019, the party bearing the bull symbol filed a lawsuit for judicial review of Article 54 of KPU Regulation Number 3 of 2019 concerning Voting and Counting to the Supreme Court (MA).

The application was then granted and as a determinant of the interim replacement (PAW), the party bearing the bull symbol then sent a letter to the KPU to appoint Harun as Nazarudin's replacement.

However, the KPU instead appointed Riezky Aprilia as a replacement for the brother-in-law of the PDI-P General Chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who had died. The reason is clear, Riezky's vote is under Nazarudin or in second place for the South Sumatra I Dapil.

Lobbying was then carried out so that Harun could become a member of the legislature. Seeing this gap, Wahyu Setiawan as the KPU commissioner said he was ready to help as long as there was an operational fund of IDR 900 million and the transaction was carried out in two stages in the middle and end of December 2019.