In the wake of a bribery case involving some of its members, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) seems to be trying to distance itself from its secretary-general, Hasto Kristiyanto, while declining to help search for the case’s main suspect: PDI-P politician Harun Masiku.

Ahmad Basarah, one of the party's central executive board heads, said on Monday that Hasto was the one who knew why the PDI-P wanted Harun to have a seat in the House of Representatives.

Basarah added that the decision was based on the party's "subjectivity" and that it was a "secret" that should not be disclosed to the public.

"The person who is concerned in this context is the party’s secretary-general. I am the head of the party's foreign affairs board," Basarah said.

The Corruption Eradication Comission (KPK) accused Harun of giving Rp 900 million (US$65,568) to General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan with the intention of influencing the KPU’s decision about a replacement for deceased PDI-P politician and House legislator-elect Nazarudin Kiemas. Harun wanted to take the seat from candidate Riezky Aprilia, who secured the second-highest number of votes in the April 17 election, behind Nazarudin.

Harun, a legislative candidate from South Sumatra, allegedly funneled the bribe through a businessman named Saeful, who gave it to Wahyu’s trusted aide, Agustiani Tio Fridelina. Both Saeful and Agustiani are former PDI-P legislative candidates.

Harun and Saeful are said to be aides to Hasto, as well as Donny (also known as Doni), a lawyer who was arrested by the KPK along with Saeful. Hasto has denied that the three men were his close aides.

Through Donny, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasto challenged the KPU’s decision to give the seat to Riezky. Hasto said recently that the KPU had decided to instead give the seat to Harun, whom it considered "clean".

Photos of Donny and Saeful on their Facebook and Instagram accounts show their involvement in various PDI-P activities. Donny’s social media has photos taken at the PDI-P's headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

They both also have photos of their ID cards from the 2019 PDI-P Congress in Bali, where they were in charge of the event's control room.

In contrast to Basarah, another party executive board head named Djarot Saiful Hidayat appears to be shielding Hasto. He said he believed that Hasto had been framed and said that Hasto did not have aides named Saeful and Donny.

Harun's appointment to replace Nazaruddin, Djarot suggested, was a party decision made in a plenary meeting sometime in July.

When asked about Saeful and Donny's presence in various PDI-P activities and at its headquarters, Djarot said, "A party headquarters is a public place. Anyone can enter the building."

Djarot added that the party would not cooperate with the KPK to search for Harun, calling on him to surrender.

"We will let the KPK search for him. It's their duty," the former Jakarta governor said.

KPK investigators are still looking for Harun, who remains at large as of Monday, four days after the antigraft body named him a suspect.

KPK deputy chairman Nurul Ghufron told journalists on Monday that the commission had coordinated with the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s Immigration Directorate General regarding Harun’s whereabouts.

“According to information we obtained, he [Harun] had been outside the country since even before we launched the operation on the case,” he said.

“We will keep looking for him. We’ll put him on the most wanted list if necessary.”

The information was confirmed by Immigration Directorate General spokesman Arvin Gumilang, who said that his office recorded Harun leaving the country on Jan. 6 for Singapore.

“He has yet to return to Indonesia, according to our records,” Arvin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The immigration information contradicts a Tempo report that Harun was reportedly hidden on Jan. 8 at a building in the Police Staff College (PTIK) in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, with Hasto.

According to Tempo, some KPK officers observed the PTIK compound that day. When they went to perform evening prayers at a nearby mosque, police officers interrogated them, confiscated their phones and forced them to take a urine test.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Argo Yuwono said on Friday that the police had simply conducted “usual procedures” as the unidentified individuals — who were later found to be KPK officers — had entered the police compound.   

KPK investigators raided Wahyu’s office in the KPU building in Central Jakarta on Monday. However, as of Monday evening, the KPK had not yet searched Hasto’s office at the PDI-P headquarters in Central Jakarta.