TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) legal team has accused the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) of wrongfully using the term “sting operation,” or OTT, in its latest alleged graft case.

The case involves Wahyu Setiawan acting as General Elections Commission (KPU) Commissioner, and also a PDIP member, along with former Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) Agustiani Tio Fridelina.

The arrest on KPU commissioner Wahyu Setiawan, former Bawaslu Agustiani Tio Fridelina, and Saeful Bahri from the private sector, cannot be categorized as a sting operation or OTT as it does not correspond to the definition of the operation itself which is ‘caught red-handed’ (operasi tangkap tangan),” said Teguh Samudra, member of the PDIP legal team at the PDIP headquarters on Wednesday.

The team went on to elaborate the definition of being caught red-handed as a situation where a person is caught as they are in the middle of committing a crime; being called-out by surrounding eyewitnesses; or when one is found to possess a piece of evidence incriminating them to a case.

Moreover, Teguh went on to question the investigation warrant that was signed by KPK’s previous chairman in December 2019 while the arrest on Wahyu Setiawan was done on January 8, 2020. Therefore, the PDIP legal team suggests that it cannot be categorized as an OTT but rather a case of alleged blackmailing and scam.

DEWI NURITA