Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo denied allegations on Monday that he requested the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to cease the investigation into the then-House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto in 2017.

Jokowi responded to recent assertions made by former KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo, who claimed that he was summoned by the president for a private meeting and asked to drop the corruption case linked to a fraudulent electronic ID project involving the House speaker.

The president staunchly refuted the existence of such a meeting.

"Media reports in November 2017 repeatedly quoted me saying: ‘Mr. Setya Novanto, please adhere to due legal process.’ These statements are on the record," Jokowi said at the State Palace in Jakarta.

"Secondly, the investigation proceeded unhindered, and thirdly, Mr. Setya Novanto was convicted and received a severe prison sentence of 15 years," Jokowi added.

Regarding the motive behind the allegations, the president, whose eldest son is contesting in the presidential election as a running mate for Prabowo Subianto, questioned the interests driving such claims.

"What purpose and interests lie behind all this noise?" Jokowi said.

The president added that he had requested the State Secretariat to review his past schedules, confirming that the alleged meeting never took place.

Agus had alleged in an interview with Kompas TV that President Jokowi summoned him to the State Palace with an order to halt the ongoing corruption investigation concerning the national electronic ID project, with Setya as the primary suspect. Agus claimed that the president, in an "angry tone," requested the case be dropped during a closed-door meeting.

He further noted the unusual circumstances of the meeting, highlighting the absence of other KPK commissioners being invited.

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