Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (PDIP) has accused certain parties of attempting to criminalize and tarnish the image of their Secretary General, Hasto Kristiyanto, who has recently been named a suspect in a bribery case related to the alleged swapping of members in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) involving the General Election Commission (KPU) and Harun Masiku.
Ronny Talapessy, the Chairman of the DPP’s National Legal Reform Division, stated that the continuous public discourse surrounding the Harun Masiku issue clearly indicates a politicization of the law and an effort to criminalize certain individuals.
“There is a clear attempt to assassinate the character of the Secretary General of the DPP PDI Perjuangan through targeted framing and narratives that personally attack him,” Ronny remarked during a press conference at the PDIP headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday (December 24).
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He further explained that the bribery case involving Harun Masiku is now final and binding (inkrah), and the accused have already completed their prison terms.
Throughout the trials, from the Corruption Court to the Supreme Court, there has been no evidence linking the Secretary General of the DPP PDI Perjuangan to the bribery case concerning Wahyu Setiawan, he asserted.
“We suspect there is an enforced criminalization happening, especially since the KPK has not presented any new evidence from the ongoing investigations throughout 2024,” he stated.
Regarding the alleged obstruction of the investigation into the Harun Masiku case, he described it merely as a procedural formality.
“The real motivation behind making the Secretary General of the DPP PDI Perjuangan a suspect is political. Particularly because he has firmly articulated the party’s political stance against actions that threaten democracy, the constitution, and against any misuse of power, especially at the end of former President Joko Widodo’s administration. This firm stance was even highlighted last week when the party decisively expelled three members who were deemed to undermine democracy and the constitution,” he explained.
The KPK officially announced the designation of PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto as a suspect in the bribery case concerning the member swap (PAW) in the DPR RI related to the KPU and Harun Masiku on Tuesday (December 24) evening.
The announcement of Hasto as a suspect is documented in the letter of notification for the commencement of the investigation, numbered Sprin.Dik/153/DIK.00/01/12/2024, dated December 23, 2024.
“The allegations of corruption against suspect HK (Hasto Kristiyanto), in collaboration with Harun Masiku and others, involve the provision of gifts or promises to Wahyu Setiawan, a member of the General Election Commission for the 2017-2022 period,” stated KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto at the KPK building.
(thr/isn)
[Gambas:Video CNN]
