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By APD Writer Maverick
JAKARTA, July 18 (APD) – Speaker of Indonesian parliament, Setya Novanto, was declared a suspect in national ID card project that cost the state some 2.3 trillion rupiah (about 172.9 million U.S. Dollars) as he was indicated of ‘herding’ the project contract to a person when he served as a legislator when the case was being discussed in the parliament from 2011 to 2013.
The suspect status against Novanto was declared by head of Indonesia’s anti-graft agency (KPK) Agus Rahardjo on Monday evening in KPK office here.
“KPK has imposed suspect status against SN, a legislator served from 2009 to 2014, as a new suspect in national ID card project graft case,” Agus told a press conference.
The status was slapped against Novanto after the agency learned from two former home affairs ministry officials who were already declared as suspects in the ill-implemented project valued 5.9 trillion rupiah (about 443.1 million U.S. Dollars).
During the project discussion period in the parliament’s Commission II, Novanto has the significant power in the commission to make the project awarded to Andi Narogong, a businessman who was declared as a suspect in the case earlier.
Novanto reassumed the parliament speaker post through a political mechanism in November last year after he resigned in late 2015 following a scandal of demanding share allocation from the United State-based gold and copper mining firm operating in Papua, Freeport McMoran.
The chairman of Indonesia’s influential Golkar Party was installed as parliament speaker in 2014 after led the party’s faction in the parliament during his service as a legislator from 2009 to 2014.
Prior to the suspect status slapped by KPK, Novanto had undergone questioning process in the anti-graft agency for various high profile cases in the country since 1999 to 2015.
Among those cases were ill-conducted rice import, constitutional court chief bribery and corruption on national sport event projects.
With his latest legal status as a suspect in the case, Novanto’s post as the parliament speaker was feared
to be stripped, while Golkar Party executives now seek ways to replace him as the party’s chairman as parliament member election draws near.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
