Claiming to be a Victim of Criminalization, Hasto Asks Judge to Cancel Prosecutor's Charges

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Secretary-General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Hasto Kristiyanto, emphasized that the legal case implicating him is more politically charged than based on actual legal aspects. In the objection hearing against the indictment of orchestrating bribery in the management of the replacement of members of the 2019-2024 House of Representatives, which also implicated former KPU member Wahyu Setiawan, Hasto argued that the law has been used as a tool to justify criminalization against him.

In the hearing, Hasto emphasized that his role as Secretary-General of PDI Perjuangan is to voice the party's political stance regarding various national and international political dynamics. The exception hearing was held at the Corruption Court, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (21/3/2025). The hearing was presided over by Chief Judge Rios Rahmanto.

Hasto stated that his critical stance, including his rejection of the presence of the Israeli national team in the 2023 U-20 World Cup and his criticism of the Constitutional Court's intervention in Decision Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 regarding the age requirements for regional heads in local elections, has drawn displeasure from the authorities.

"That the case that has befallen me involves more political aspects that use law as a justification tool, leading to the occurrence of legal criminalization," said Hasto.

According to Hasto, since August 2023, he has received various forms of intimidation and the intimidation has become more intense after the 2024 Election.

He also claimed that the pressure on him was increasingly mounting ahead of the dismissal of a party cadre who holds significant influence in the government. Furthermore, the pressure on him intensified after he appeared in an interview with Connie Rahakundini on the YouTube channel Akbar Faizal Uncensored.

According to Hasto, after the interview, several high-ranking officials from the TNI and Polri informed him that he would be made a suspect if he continued to be critical. In the interview, Hasto expressed criticism regarding the abuse of power in the elections.

"After that interview, the pressure on me increased significantly, especially during the period of December 4-15, 2024, leading up to Mr. Jokowi's dismissal by the Central Leadership Council of PDI Perjuangan. During that period, there were envoys claiming to be from state officials who demanded that I step down, refrain from carrying out the dismissal, or face being named a suspect and arrested," said Hasto.

Hasto also accused that the Harun Masiku case had been used as a means of pressure on him. "Finally on December 24, 2024, one week after the dismissal of the party cadres, I was named a suspect," he said.

Hasto assessed that the pressure he experienced was similar to that experienced by other political parties, which resulted in a change in leadership through legal pressure.

In the exception hearing, Hasto also denied his involvement in the Harun Masiku bribery case. He emphasized that in the two previous court decisions, not a single verdict stated his involvement.

Hasto also said that the convict in the bribery case, Saeful Bahri, actually revealed that Hasto had reprimanded him harshly when he found out that he had asked Harun Masiku for funds. According to Hasto, this is proof that he was not involved in the alleged bribery.

In addition, Hasto denied the accusation of obstruction of investigation that was charged against him. He considered that there was manipulation of facts in the indictment, especially regarding the order to submerge the cellphone belonging to the PDI Perjuangan DPP staff, Kusnadi.

"In Nurhasan's BAP (Examination Report) on January 14, 2025, it was stated that the person who ordered the cellphone to be drowned was not me, but two large, short-haired men, who looked like members of the police," he explained.

Hasto also claimed that there was a discrepancy between the charges and the facts of the previous trial regarding the alleged bribery. He stated that Kusnadi, in the BAP and the facts of the previous trial, said that the Rp 400 million that was handed over to Donny Tri Istiqomah was a deposit from Harun Masiku, not from him.

He considered that the charges had formed public opinion that was detrimental to him and strengthened the suspicion that he was being targeted for criminalization.

Hasto asked that the legal process against him be carried out fairly and based on existing legal facts. "With my commitment and track record in maintaining democracy and the constitution, I ask that this case be viewed objectively and not used as a tool to silence critical attitudes," he said.

To the panel of judges, he requested that the objection or exception note he submitted be accepted and granted in its entirety and that the public prosecutor's indictment be null and void or at least cannot be accepted. Hasto also requested that the panel of judges declare that the examination of him not be continued and order the public prosecutor to release him.

In this case, the public prosecutor charged Hasto Kristiyanto with obstructing the investigation process by ordering Harun Masiku to drown his cellphone, thus hampering the legal process. Harun Masiku is a PDI-P politician who is on the Wanted List after becoming a suspect in a case of alleged corruption related to the appointment of members of the 2019-2024 DPR.

In addition, Hasto was charged with ordering his staff, Kusnadi, to drown the cellphone in anticipation of the KPK summons. "What the defendant (Hasto) did was order Harun Masiku through Nurhasan to submerge Harun Masiku's cellphone in water after the sting incident by the KPK," said the prosecutor reading the indictment at the Central Jakarta District Court, Friday (3/14/2025).

The public prosecutor also charged Hasto as the mastermind behind the bribery of the 2019-2024 DPR member administration which also implicated former KPU member Wahyu Setiawan. According to the prosecutor, the bribery was carried out by Hasto together with Saeful Bahri, Donny Tri Istiqomah, and Harun Masiku.