After Indonesia’s anti-graft watchdog named a high-ranking opposition politician as a suspect in a corruption probe, an old video spread online with a false claim it shows his party’s leader demanding his release. However, there has been no announcement of Hasto Kristiyanto’s detention, as of January 21. The clip actually shows Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) chief Megawati Sukarnoputri arriving at a meeting in October 2023.
The TikTok video, which racked up 7.3 million views after it was shared on December 25, 2024, shows former Indonesian president and Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) leader Megawati walking down a corridor.
She is followed by other PDIP politicians, including parliamentary speaker Puan Maharani and Mahfud MD, who unsuccessfully ran as the party’s candidate for Indonesian vice president in the February 2024 election.
According to Indonesian text overlay on the video, it shows Megawati and Puan leaving the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) after demanding the release of the party’s secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto.
The KPK accused Hasto of bribing a former senior official at Indonesia’s election commission to secure a parliamentary seat for his colleague Harun Masiku (archived link).
Megawati reportedly said she would visit the KPK to demand Hasto’s release if he was detained (archived link).
However, there has been no announcement of Hasto’s arrest, as of January 21.
“Who says Megawati doesn’t dare come to the KPK and keep her promise to free Hasto?” the text overlay adds.
Screenshot of the false video taken on January 14, 2025
The video spread in similar posts on TikTok and SnackVideo, misleading viewers who appeared to believe it genuinely showed Megawati demanding Hasto’s release.
“The bull is getting stronger with the people of Indonesia,” one commented, referring to the PDIP’s logo, which features a white-nosed bull.
“PDIP is the strongest party, boss,” another wrote.
Campaign meeting
Keyword searches online found a longer version of the footage in a YouTube video from October 25, 2023 (archived link).
According to text overlaid on the clip, it shows Megawati at a meeting that day in the Indonesian capital Jakarta with the campaign team for Ganjar Pranowo — whom the PDIP endorsed in his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in February 2024.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the false video (left) and the YouTube clip (right):
Screennshot comparison of the false video (left) and the YouTube clip (right)
Reverse image searches of the video on Google found a photo of Megawati arriving at the same meeting, which was published by Indonesian news outlet Liputan6 (archived link).
The picture shows her wearing the same red scarf, bracelet and lapel pin as in the video.
Below is a screenshot comparison of Megawati’s outfit in the false video (left) and in Liputan6’s photo (right):
Screenshot comparison of Megawati’s outfit in the false video (left) and in Liputan6’s photo (right)
As of January 21, there have been no official reports of Megawati visiting the KPK regarding Hasto’s case.
