Jakarta. A senior investigator with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) told a Jakarta court on Friday that former KPK chairman Firli Bahuri leaked information about an anti-graft sting to the public in January 2020, leading to the failed arrest of senior PDIP politician Hasto Kristiyanto and fugitive legislative candidate Harun Masiku.

Firli resigned last year after being named a corruption suspect by the police in a case involving former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL).

Testifying as a witness in Hasto’s ongoing trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, KPK investigator Rossa Purbo Bekti recounted the failed operation to capture Hasto and Harun at the Indonesian Police College (PTIK) compound in South Jakarta. The sting was linked to a bribery case involving former election commissioner Wahyu Setiawan concerning Harun’s bid to replace another legislator through an illegal interim appointment.

According to Rossa, the KPK team had been tracking Hasto’s movements via mobile phone signals when they received word that Firli had unilaterally gone public with news of the operation, before either suspect was in custody.

“Suddenly, we got information from headquarters that Firli had announced the sting operation,” Rossa said in court. “This was shared in our internal group chats. We questioned the decision because we hadn’t secured the key suspects yet.”

The premature disclosure, Rossa explained, compromised the operation. KPK investigators had located Hasto near PTIK and were in the process of attempting his arrest when they were stopped at the compound’s gate and later detained and interrogated, losing track of both targets in the process.

The court also heard how the investigators’ chase was hampered by internal confusion and unexpected encounters with other enforcement units in the field. “When we arrived at PTIK, we surprisingly ran into another team pursuing Harun,” Rossa said.

During the operation, investigators intercepted communications suggesting that Harun had been instructed by an associate, allegedly under the direction of a person referred to as “Bapak," to destroy evidence by submerging his mobile phone in water.

The trial also touched on allegations involving the use of a burner phone registered under the name "Sri Rejeki Hastomo," believed by investigators to be used by Hasto to avoid detection. Rossa testified that the number had been saved under an alias by Hasto’s aide, Kusnadi, who admitted giving it a pseudonym he believed would bring him luck.

Hasto, who is standing trial for obstruction of justice in the case, denied that the number belonged to him and questioned the credibility of Rossa’s testimony. Speaking outside the courtroom, Hasto accused the KPK of politicizing the case, arguing that the use of an investigator as a fact witness was inappropriate under Indonesian criminal procedure law.

“This is the first time in our legal history that a KPK investigator is testifying as a fact witness in a trial,” Hasto said. “They weren’t present at the crime scene. What they offer is just assumptions, not direct evidence.”

The trial continues next week, with the panel expected to hear additional testimony from other KPK investigators.

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