(Bloomberg) -- Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko Widodo, has pushed back against an allegation of wrongdoing over the use of a private jet on a recent overseas trip.
Kaesang visited the office of Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency known as KPK on Tuesday to clarify that he had initially planned to take a commercial flight to the US in August, but had decided to “hitchhike” with a friend.
“My trip to the US was on my friend’s (private jet),” Kaesang said in a statement. He did not provide further details about the identity of the aircraft’s owner. The budding politician traveled with his wife last month as fierce rallies broke out in Indonesia, successfully halting proposed election law changes that would have allowed Kaesang to join a gubernatorial race.
A spokesperson for the KPK said they will continue to analyze Kaesang’s report over the next 30 days then decide the next steps. Jokowi’s youngest son was reported to the KPK through a public complaint channel by Boyamin Saiman of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society.
The KPK had summoned Kaesang in late August over his use of a private jet, only to cancel the order after a few days, according to a local media report saying that a similar examination was already ongoing in another division of the agency.
Kaesang said on Tuesday that his visit to the KPK was intended to be an act of transparency and good faith, a “personal initiative as a good citizen and not because of a written summons.” The anti-graft body denied allegations of intervention from Jokowi.
Jokowi’s other son, Vice President-Elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, had earlier come to his younger brother’s defense. Gibran denied media reports that the private jet was lent by Sea Ltd.’s e-commerce arm Shopee, which has invested in Solo city, where he was previously mayor. The incoming VP was quoted by KompasTV last week as saying the deal was purely professional.
When asked about the issue, Jokowi told reporters last week that “all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law.”
(Updates with comments from KPK spokesperson)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
