TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has chosen to keep the identities of the individuals interrogated in the alleged corruption case of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train project confidential. KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo reasoned that the case is still in the investigation stage, so the names of those interrogated cannot be disclosed.
"Regarding the materials or the parties invited for questioning, currently we cannot fully disclose the details," he said at the Red and White KPK building in South Jakarta on Friday, October 31, 2025.
KPK has indeed interrogated several individuals suspected of having knowledge about this alleged corruption. So far, according to Budi, the interrogated parties have been cooperative.
In the future, the anti-corruption agency will continue to gather information from other parties for the needs of the investigation. "The team will continue to trace other parties to collect the necessary information in the investigative stage," said Budi.
KPK's Independence Test
Former senior KPK investigator Praswad Nugraha believes that the investigation of the alleged corruption in the Whoosh High-Speed Train project is a test of the anti-corruption agency's independence. According to him, the indications of deviations in this national strategic project are very strong and must be handled professionally and free from political intervention.
"The indication of alleged corruption is significant if there is indeed a threefold increase in prices from the normal value, as stated by Mahfud MD," Praswad said in a written statement on Friday, November 1, 2025.
He believes that the price difference is a strong signal of potential mark-up practices that could harm the state's finances. The high cost makes the state's payment burden very high. Yet, the government is currently trying to streamline the state budget allocation.
If the mark-up is indeed happening, Praswad said, this case is not new in terms of modus operandi of corruption, but it is a common type of case. KPK only needs to delve into who approved the procurement value, leading to the excess payment by the state. Investigators simply need to trace the formal procurement process to reveal who gave the orders and approved the project value.
Praswad explained why KPK's independence is crucial in handling this case. This is because the Whoosh project is one of the ambitious projects of President Joko Widodo's era, thus there is a huge potential for political intervention in the case handling process.
KPK is currently investigating the alleged corruption in the high-speed train project that officially commenced commercial operation on October 17, 2023. The investigation is being conducted to ascertain the presence of corruption in this national strategic project.
Budi only emphasized that KPK's investigative team is still delving into their suspicions. "We are tracing, discovering the incidents first. In this investigative process, we are still focused on this, investigative activities are still ongoing," he said on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
Amidst the ongoing investigation of the alleged corruption, KPK urges the public to continue using the Whoosh high-speed train service. They hope that the public transport service continues to operate as it should. "Please continue to use the high-speed train service as one of the modes of public transportation," said Budi.
The investigation of the alleged corruption in the high-speed train project has been ongoing since the beginning of this year. Budi stated that this investigation originated from information received by KPK. Each case handling at KPK can stem from public complaints or from case building. Case building is done based on various data obtained from various agencies in Indonesia.
"It can come from law enforcement agencies (APH), or from financial institutions such as the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Financial Services Authority (OJK), and so on," he said, on Monday, October 27, 2025.
Budi also urges the public to immediately report to KPK if they have information about this case. Such information is deemed to help the investigative team enrich the data in the case unveiling process.
Previously, former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD stated that he was asked to report this case to KPK. He mentioned that the corruption issue with the high-speed train involved a mark-up allegation.
"In criminal law, if there is information about alleged criminal events, law enforcement agencies should directly investigate, not ask for reports," Mahfud said through his Twitter account @mohmahfudmd on October 18, 2025.
He requested KPK to immediately summon him to explain the alleged corruption in the high-speed train. However, Mahfud asked that his summons be solely to provide information to the investigators.
Raihan Muzzaki and Mutia Yuantisya contributed to the writing of this article.
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