This is indeed a display of steel-like firmness on the part of the antigraft body as it has been under constant political pressure from vengeful House politicians flexing their muscles through an inquiry into alleged procedural flaws by the KPK in conducting its tasks. The inquiry involves members of parties in the ruling coalition such as the Golkar Party, which Setya currently chairs, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to which President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo belongs, NasDem, Hanura and the United Development Party (PPP).

The inquiry has sparked public outrage as it is regarded as a means to justify revision of the KPK Law, which would eventually strip the anticorruption commission of some of its authority, which has helped it ensnare previous untouchables.

Declaring Setya a suspect is likely to exacerbate the adversarial relationship between the KPK and the House. Whatever the risk, however, the KPK has reached the point of no return. The noisy political maneuvering should not distract the KPK’s efforts to build a case that would convince the Corruption Courts panel of judges to rule in its favor.

Naming Setya a graft suspect is already an achievement for the KPK, but bringing him to court is another matter. As Golkar leader and House speaker, Setya plays a key role in facilitating state policy-making and we can therefore safely assume that he is part of the inner circle of President Jokowi, along with all the privileges he enjoys, whether we like it or not. Moreover, Golkar under Setya is the first party to have announced support for Jokowi’s reelection in 2019.

With all the powers at his disposal, Setya may challenge the KPK’s move in court, just as the then sole candidate for National Police chief Budi Gunawan and former tax office chief Hadi Purnomo slipped through the KPK’s net. In their respective pretrial hearings it was declared that the KPK’s decisions to name Budi and Hadi graft suspects were illegitimate.

Although the pretrial decisions did not cancel out any act of corruption, until now the KPK has not resumed its probes into the two high-profile cases.

We do hope the KPK is well prepared for the legal measures Setya could take to survive. Given his allegedly pivotal role, Setya could lead the KPK to other players. If Setya was a big fish, there are even bigger fish the KPK can catch.

The e-ID card scandal is yet another illustration of how rent-seeking practices operate. Politicians, with the help of government officials, certainly profit, but it is difficult to deny that they commit the practices to help their respective parties cover their whopping operational costs.

It would be a major breakthrough if the KPK could find a link between the ill-gotten money and political parties.