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Graft fugitive Harun Masiku remains at large as KPK extends travel ban
Immigration Directorate General spokesperson Arvin Gumilang said this was the last time the KPK would be allowed to extend Harun’s travel ban.
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Jakarta. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has filed a request with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to extend an overseas travel ban for Harun Masiku as it continues its search for the graft fugitive.
KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri said the commission had filed the request on July 10 with the ministry's Immigration Directorate General. The commission asked for the travel ban to be extended six months.
The antigraft agency is continuing to pursue the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, who was named a suspect and put on the KPK's most-wanted list in January.
“As of now, the KPK is continuing our coordination with the police and the immigration office to track and capture the most-wanted fugitive,” Ali wrote in a statement published Monday.
Harun, alongside his fellow PDI-P politician Saeful Bahri, was accused of bribing then-General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan. He allegedly offered Rp 1.5 billion (US$101,641) to secure a seat in the House of Representatives that was left vacant by a deceased member from the ruling party.
Read also: Months in, two of KPK's key graft suspects remain at large
Immigration Directorate General spokesperson Arvin Gumilang said this was the last time the KPK would be allowed to extend Harun’s travel ban.
“According to Article 97 of the 2011 Immigration Law, a travel ban is valid for a maximum of six months and can be extended for a maximum of six months,” Arvin told tribunnews.com on Tuesday.
KPK investigators failed to capture Harun during an operation in January, but they managed to arrest Wahyu, Saeful and six other suspects. It was later discovered that Harun had departed for Singapore on Jan. 6 and had returned to Indonesia on Jan. 7, before the KPK named him a suspect on Jan. 9.
His escape and subsequent disappearance have turned the spotlight on fellow PDI-P member and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, who established a fact-finding team that ended up blaming an error in the immigration system for allowing Harun to slip over the border.
Harun's whereabouts remain unknown.
The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Saeful to one year and eight months of prison for bribery in May and ordered a Rp 150 million fine. Wahyu is now on trial for allegedly accepting the bribe.
