Jakarta. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has responded to President Prabowo Subianto’s recent remarks in which he said he was ready to take responsibility for the financing of the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed rail project, known as Whoosh, including its debts.

The anti-graft body stressed that the president’s comments have no influence on its ongoing probe into alleged corruption in the project.

KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo said the inquiry is focused specifically on suspected irregularities in the procurement process, not on political statements about the future of the railway.

“KPK’s focus is on the legal process regarding the procurement. We are working to determine whether a criminal act occurred,” Budi told reporters at the agency’s headquarters in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said the investigation is intended to ensure that no public funds are misused and that government programs --including Prabowo’s flagship infrastructure initiatives-- can proceed without corruption.

“Every rupiah allocated for development is degraded when corruption happens. What we are doing is to support government programs by keeping them clean,” he said.

Budi confirmed that investigators have summoned several people believed to have relevant knowledge of the procurement phase, but declined to provide names or details because the probe remains at the preliminary stage.

The Whoosh project has become a hot topic after former chief security minister Mahfud MD alleged in a recent YouTube video that Indonesia’s cost per kilometer for the high-speed line was nearly three times that of similar lines in China --around US$52 million in Indonesia versus $17–18 million in China.

“Where did the money go? That must be investigated,” Mahfud said.

KPK acknowledged earlier this year that it began probing Whoosh in early 2025.

President Prabowo Subianto said Tuesday that he would take responsibility for the mounting Chinese debt that had derailed the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train.

According to Prabowo’s estimates, Indonesia has to pay Rp 1.2 trillion ($71.8 million) annually to Beijing for the multibillion-dollar loan that the country had taken out to build the rail line.  The retired army general even assured the state railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) -- the biggest bearer of the debt -- “not to worry”.

“I have studied the issue, and there is no problem here. I will take responsibility for Whoosh, everything related to it,” Prabowo said in a rare comment on the debt crisis that had been making international headlines.