Suspect Hasto Kristiyanto Summoned by KPK Next Week

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK will summon the suspect Hasto Kristiyanto for questioning again. According to the plan, Hasto's summons to the KPK's Merah Putih Building in Jakarta will take place next week.

The spokesperson for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Tessa Mahardhika Sugiarto, stated that the KPK is committed to continuing the investigation process against Hasto. One of the efforts is to summon witnesses and suspects again.

"The information we received from the investigators is that there will be another summons for the concerned party (Hasto Kristiyanto) in the near future. I cannot disclose the exact date yet, but it is most likely next week," he said in Jakarta, Friday (14/2/2025).

So far, the detention of Hasto, although he has been named a suspect since the end of December 2024, has not been carried out due to formal and material requirements. Investigators still need several documents to complete the detention requirements.

Therefore, Tessa asked the public to be patient and wait for the legal process being carried out by the investigators. Until now, Hasto's legal counsel has stated that they will be cooperative with the legal process at the KPK.

On the other hand, Tessa was reluctant to comment on the potential of Hasto when filing for another pretrial. This is because Hasto's camp has not yet confirmed whether they will file for another pretrial.

The information we obtained from the investigators indicates that there will be another summons for the concerned party (Hasto Kristiyanto) in the near future. I cannot disclose the exact time yet, but it is most likely next week.

As reported, Sole Judge Djuyamto did not accept Hasto's pretrial motion regarding his suspect status. The judge's decision indirectly states that Hasto is still validly a suspect in the bribery case involving the management of DPR members for the 2019-2024 period and the obstruction of the investigation of the case.

In his ruling, Djuyamto stated that the pretrial motion should have been filed for two different cases, not combined. This means that the bribery case went through a separate pretrial motion, and the obstruction of investigation case also went through a separate motion.

Chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) who is also part of Hasto's legal team, Ronny Talapessy, explained that the judge's decision did not mean rejecting or not granting the pretrial motion. The decision was that it could not accept the pretrial motion because administratively it did not meet the requirements.

"However, in our opinion, this is actually not a problem because the object is the same, the suspect is the same. But we respect the judge's interpretation of this matter," he said.

Moreover, Ronny continued, the judge's considerations have not referred to or touched on the object of the test, namely the suspect status of Hasto Kristiyanto. Therefore, there is the potential to re-file a new pretrial motion. However, this has not been decided by the legal team.

"So, once again, we need to say that this is not over. There is no decision on the substance of our pretrial motion being rejected," he added.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) Coordinator Agus Sunaryanto, said the judge's decision proved that the KPK named Hasto as a suspect based on strong evidence. The judge was also convinced that Hasto was named a suspect not because of political engineering and so on.

"Therefore, the KPK will immediately submit Hasto's files to the Corruption Court so that the public also understands the extent of the indications of Hasto's involvement in the case," he said.

A researcher from the Center for Anti-Corruption Studies at Gadjah Mada University (Pukat UGM), Zaenur Rohman, stated that the pretrial judge's decision was clear and refuted the existence of legal politicization. After the formal aspects are completed, the KPK must proceed to the material aspects.

With the case rolling to court, the KPK can immediately prove whether Hasto was really involved and contributed bribe money. In addition, it will also be seen whether Hasto ordered his subordinates to soak the cellphone.

"Our hope as a society is that this case should not drag on. This case must be resolved immediately so that the drama can end soon. Then the eradication of corruption can move on to another chapter," he added.

In addition to bringing Hasto's case to court, the KPK must also continue to search for Harun Masiku, a suspect who is still at large. Harun's statement and involvement will reveal the case as clearly as possible.

Zaenur also hopes that investigators can explain the involvement of former KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri in the bribery case. Moreover, it was previously revealed that Firli complicated the sting operation (OTT) process and obstructed the process of determining Hasto as a suspect.