he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) interrogated Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto on Monday for the first time since he was named a bribery suspect, as the party prepares to go on the offensive in a pretrial hearing later this month.
Late last month, Hasto was named a graft suspect for allegedly helping former party member Harun Masiku bribe Wahyu Setiawan, then-commissioner of the General Elections Commission (KPU), for a vacant seat in the House of Representatives in 2019.
The antigraft agency also alleged that Hasto had obstructed justice by helping Harun elude authorities since 2020, when Harun was named a key suspect in the case.
Hasto arrived on Monday morning at the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta for his first questioning as a suspect after having skipped a summons last week to attend a PDI-P-related event elsewhere.
He told reporters prior to his interrogation that he would follow through with all legal proceedings and would answer investigators as well as he could.
“Since I was appointed PDI-P secretary-general, I have fought to uphold all the mandates of the Constitution and fought for democratic values,” Hasto said. “Fighting for these values certainly brings consequences [...] so I am here out of my responsibility to follow the legal procedures.”
PDI-P executive in charge of legal affairs Ronny Talapessy, who accompanied Hasto during his interrogation, said Hasto was “ready to face all possibilities” stemming from the questioning, including a possible arrest, “with a smile and his head held high”.
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