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Post-Election: PDI-P, Anti-Corruption Body Tainted by Political Bias, Kompas

“..move to summons Hasto to confirm new information about Harun Masiku was politically motivated…

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PDI-P Sec Gen Hasto Summoned by KPK Over Harun Masiku Case; PDI-P Raises Allegations of Corruption Involving First Family

By Achmad Nasrudin Yahya for Kompas.com, June 5, 2024

JAKARTA, Kompas.com – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has focused attention on allegations of corruption involving two of President Joko Widodo’s sons, Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Kaesang Pangarep.

The move comes as PDI-P spokesman Chico Hakim responds to the imminent summoning of the party’s Secretary-General, Mr. Hasto Kristiyanto, by Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in relation to the case against PDI-P politician Mr. Harun Masiku.

Hakim drew a comparison between Hasto’s summoning and the still unresolved corruption accusations against Gibran and Kaesang, reported to the anti-graft agency in 2022 by Jakarta State University lecturer Mr. Ubedilah Badrun.

“We are inevitably forced to compare this [summons] with Ubedilah’s corruption report, a UNJ lecturer who filed a corruption complaint against Gibran and Kaesang. Despite his impeccable integrity and credibility, his report has been ignored and not acted on by the Corruption Eradication Commission,” Hakim said in a press release on Wednesday June 5, 2024.

Harun Masiku, a former PDI-P politician, has been implicated in the alleged bribery of Indonesian’s national General Elections Commission (KPU) Commissioner Mr. Wahyu Setiawan in 2019. Masiku remains a fugitive and has been on the most-wanted list of the Corruption Eradication Commission for the last four years.

Chico Hakim argued that the bribery case involving Harun Masiku pales in comparison to other high-profile corruption cases, such as the Rp44.5 billion ($3million) scandal involving Indonesia’s former Social Affairs Minister Mr. Syahrul Yasin Limpo (also known as “SYL”), or the Rp271 trillion ($18billion) tin mining corruption case. “This case is minor compared to SYL’s alleged corruption, or the alleged massive tin mining corruption case, and other major cases, especially the cases that seem to be stalled because they involve powerful figures,” he said.

Hakim emphasized that the Harun Masiku case was about alleged bribery by someone entitled to a seat in the House of Representatives, based on a Supreme Court ruling, but who was victim of an extortion effort by General Elections Commission officials.

Hakim noted that those involved had already faced criminal sanctions. Hakim claimed that the case had strong political overtones, surfacing just before the PDI-P’s national working convention (Rakernas). He asserted that everyone guilty in the Masiku case had been prosecuted and punished, with some having already been released. “Throughout the entire process, there has been no connection with Mr. Hasto Kristiyanto,” Hakim stressed.

In addition, Hakim suggested that the Corruption Eradication Commission’s move to summons Hasto to confirm new information about Harun Masiku was politically motivated.

He pointed out that the summons coincided with the run-up to the 2024 general elections for the heads of regional governments (Pilkada) in several areas. “Given the timing, just before the nationally simultaneous regional elections in 2024, it’s hard to deny the public perception that this issue is politically charged,” he said. Despite alleging political motives, Hakim confirmed that Hasto would comply with the summons. “Mr. Hasto will definitely attend and provide the necessary information,” Hakim assured.

The Corruption Eradication Commission is set to summon Hasto next week. Commission spokesperson Ali Fikri said that Secretary General Hasto would be questioned as a witness in relation to allegations against Harun Masiku, currently on the anti-graft agency’s most-wanted list.

“According to information from our investigators, he is likely to be summoned next week,” Ali told reporters at the Commissions offices in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

However, Ali could not confirm if the summons had already been sent. “But it’s already scheduled,” he added. Ali explained that Hasto’s testimony would help confirm new information the anti-corruption commission had received regarding Harun Masiku’s whereabouts. “We need to confirm the new information received by the Commission,” Ali said.

This article is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/06/05/17561261/hasto-dipanggil-kpk-terkait-harun-masiku-pdi-p-singgung-dugaan-korupsi.

In earlier reporting…

PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto Entangled in Duel Legal Cases

By Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo for Kompas.com, June 5, 2024

JAKARTA, Kompas.com – Hasto Kristiyanto, the Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is currently in the public spotlight because of legal problems. Hasto is entangled in two separate legal cases being handled by different law enforcement agencies.

Information and Electronic Transactions Law

The first case involves allegations of incitement. Hasto was reported to the police following comments he made during an interview with a national television station concerning allegations of electoral fraud during this year’s presidential election. Hasto was reported to Jakarta District Police Headquarters by two individuals, Hendra and Bayu Setiawan, in March 2024 through the Integrated Police Service Center (SPKT) of Jakarta’s provincial police headquarters.

In this case, Hasto is suspected of incitement and/or spreading electronic information and/or documents containing false news causing public unrest, in breach of Article 160 and Article 28 paragraph (3) of Indonesia’s national Criminal Code and Article 45A paragraph (3) of Law No. 1/2024 Concerning the Second Amendment to Law No. 11/2008 On Information and Electronic Transactions. Hasto attended for questioning at Jakarta District Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. He said that by attending he was acting as a responsible, law-abiding citizen.

Also read: Elections: Police Intimidation of PDI-P Election Campaign Continues With Interrogation of Campaign Spokesperson, Kompas

“And because we are a country of laws, not a country of arbitrary power, I came with good intentions to respond to the summons served on me,” Hasto said. He also denied the accusations of spreading false news, or inciting the public. He explained that his statements were intended as political communication to the public. “Perhaps other statements I made were made in discharge of my responsibility to provide political education and my function of political communication,” Hasto added.

Harun Masiku

In addition to the case at Jakarta District Police Headquarters, Hasto will also be questioned by Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in relation to new information about a fugitive in a bribery case involving the alleged in-term appointment of House of Representatives member Harun Masiku. Harun, a former member of Hasto’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, is a suspect in the case of the alleged bribing of a commissioner of Indonesia’s national General Elections Commission (KPU), Wahyu Setiawan, for the 2019 period.

However, Harun fled and has been on the most-wanted list of the Corruption Eradication Commission for the last four years. Commission spokesman Ali Fikri said that new information has been received relating to Harun Masiku’s whereabouts. “To confirm the information the Commission has received,” Ali said, at the Commission’s offices in Jakarta yesterday.

Also Read: Presidential Handover: Managing Corruption Management Post Transition

Ali claimed that the Corruption Eradication Commission would summon Hasto next week to be questioned as a witness in the matter. However, he admitted he had not yet confirmed whether the investigation team had sent the summons.

“We haven’t confirmed the timing, and whether the summons has been sent, but it has been scheduled,” Ali said. The case involving Harun Masiku was uncovered in a sting operation conducted by the anti-graft agency on January 8, 2020. As a result of the operation, the Commission’s team had arrested eight people and named four as suspects.

The four suspects are General Elections Commission Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan, former General Elections Supervisory Board member Agustiani Tio Fridelina, PDI-P member Saeful Bahri, and Harun Masiku. Three out of the four suspects have been sentenced to prison. However, at the time, Harun escaped, evading arrest.

Corruption Eradication Commission investigators were last aware of Harun’s whereabouts in the vicinity of Indonesia’s national Police Science College (PTIK) in South Jakarta. Harun remains at large and is on the most-wanted list. Harun is suspected of bribing Wahyu and Agustiani to facilitate his appointment as a House Representative member.

This article is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/06/05/07564491/saat-sekjen-pdi-p-ada-di-pusaran-2-kasus-hukum.

PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Suspects Police Summons Ordered From Above

By Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Achmad Nasrudin Yahya for Kompas.com, June 3, 2024

JAKARTA, Kompas.com – Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Hasto Kristiyanto, suspects that there is an orchestrated direction behind his summons to attend Jakarta District Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

According to Hasto, the purpose of the direction is none other than to criminalize him. However, Hasto did not elaborate on who might be behind the alleged direction.

“Yes, there was definitely an order. There must have been an order to summons me because of my critical stance on allegations of electoral fraud,” said Hasto during an interview at the University of Indonesia (UI) in the West Java city of Depok on Monday, June 3, 2024.

Hasto has been summoned to Jakarta District Police Headquarters in connection with his interview on a television station during which he revealed allegations of fraud during the 2024 presidential elections. Hasto expressed surprise at receiving the summons, as he believed he was simply speaking the truth about the 2024 elections.

According to Hasto, allegations of electoral fraud have also been voiced in various academic studies and field study findings. “There have been instances of village heads being intimidated, regional heads being intimidated, and the press being intimidated. Then when a community complaint is voiced the legal process moves swiftly,” he said.

Comparing this to other cases such as corruption, illegal mining, and banking, Hasto remarked that these cases seem to be processed slowly, or even ignored by the police. “We, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, have a backlog of issues that remains unresolved. When one of our offices was hit by a Molotov cocktail, or when a laptop containing strategic information was stolen, those cases were not acted on,” he said. “Meanwhile, the people raising issues about improving the quality of democracy are the ones being processed,” continued the politician originally from the city of Yogyakarta.

When asked if he would attend Jakarta police headquarters alone or be accompanied, Hasto disclosed that PDI-P’s task force and branch administrators did want to accompany him.

However, he has asked them not to attend and to remain calm. “Amid the darkness hanging over the country’s democracy, and the darkness hanging over those in power, we have to fight for the truth within the law,” said Hasto. “So I urge everyone not to come. I will go accompanied by legal advisors,” he concluded.

According to information received by the media, Hasto has been summoned by police for questioning in relation to allegations of incitement and/or disseminating electronic information and/or documents containing false news causing public unrest, as provided for by Articles 160 and 28 paragraph (3) of the Criminal Code and Article 45A paragraph (3) of Law No. 1/2024 Concerning the Second Amendment to Law No. 11/2008 On Information and Electronic Transactions.

The incidents in question allegedly took place on March 16, 2024, and March 19, 2024, in front of Indonesia’s House of Representatives building at Jenderal Gatot Subroto Street and in the Central Jakarta suburb of Gambir. The complainants are Hendra and Bayu Setiawan, who lodged complaints at the Integrated Police Service Center (SPKT) of Jakarta’s District Police Headquarters.

This article is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/06/03/20094671/hasto-curiga-ada-orderan-di-balik-pemanggilannya-ke-polda-metro-jaya.

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