Saiful Anam, Wahyu's lawyer, told reporters that the former official had filed the request during a hearing with the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 9.

Wahyu is currently standing trial for allegedly accepting a bribe from Harun Masiku and Saeful Bahri, politicians of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) accused the two of offering Wahyu Rp 1.5 billion (US$102,524) in exchange for helping Harun secure a seat in the House of Representatives that was left vacant after a legislator died.

Should the request be granted, Saiful said Wahyu would assist the investigation by providing information on other parties who were suspected of being involved in the bribery case, such as PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto and PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

In his previous testimony, Hasto claimed he had not been aware of any bribes involving Harun.

The lawyer said his client — who had served as KPU commissioner since 2017 — would also reveal information on other election-related bribery cases, including in the selection process of regional KPU members and alleged fraud in the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

"[Wahyu] has all the details because he was part of [the election] organizer. Of course, he will not be careless; we'll see about that later," Saiful said as quoted by kompas.com.

Read also: Graft fugitive Harun Masiku remains at large as KPK extends travel ban

In response to the request, KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri that the commission would consider the proposal and analyze the evidence presented during Wahyu's trial, adding that becoming a justice collaborator could lighten Wahyu's sentence if he was declared guilty.

"However, it must be understood that the defendant's disclosure should have been conveyed from the beginning of the investigation and when he gave his statement as a defendant, both in the trial of the current case and dismantling other cases that he knows of," Ali told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Through its leaders, the KPK can grant someone justice collaborator status and consequently, the panel of judges that handles the case would consider the status during the defendant's sentence verdict.

Alternatively, Ali said Wahyu could become a whistleblower and unveil other criminal cases that he was aware of should the justice collaborator request be denied.

"It is assured that the KPK will verify and follow up on any [reported] cases that fall under our authority."

On May 28, prosecutors indicted Wahyu, along with former Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) member Agustiani Tio Fridelina, for allegedly accepting a bribe from Harun and Saeful. They were charged under Article 11 of the 2001 Corruption Law, which prohibits state officials and civil servants from accepting gifts.

Apart from Harun’s case, Wahyu was also indicted for allegedly accepting bribes from West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan pertaining to the selection of provincial general elections commission members last year.

Saeful, who was also a former staffer of Hasto, was sentenced in May by the corruption court to one year and eight months in prison and ordered to pay a Rp 150 million fine for his involvement in the case.

Meanwhile, Harun is believed to have fled the country shortly after he was named a suspect and currently remains at large. The KPK recently filed a request with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to extend an overseas travel ban on the suspect.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia