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Speaker travel ban may hamper House's legislative agenda
Following the imposition of a travel ban on House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto, the House is concerned that the prohibition will hamper its agenda given the pivotal role the Golkar Party chairman plays in the legislative body.
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Under fire: Golkar Party chairman and House Speaker Setya Novanto (right) and the former chairman of the Democratic Party, Anas Urbaningrum, sit as witnesses during a court hearing in Jakarta on Thursday in a bribery case involving the e-ID procurement project. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
F
ollowing the imposition of a travel ban on House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto, the House is concerned that the prohibition will hamper its agenda given the pivotal role the Golkar Party chairman plays in the legislative body.
“We respect the ongoing legal process, and we are waiting for formal clarification, although at the end of the day we cannot intervene,” deputy speaker Taufik Kurniawan of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said.
Taufik said he did not want to speculate on the implications of the travel ban, which is valid for six months.
Another deputy speaker, Agus Hermanto of the Democratic Party, said the House was waiting for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to make an official announcement on the ban.
“We have yet to schedule a leadership meeting related to the travel ban. We should wait until the KPK provides us with an official letter,” Agus said.
(Read also: House speaker slapped with travel ban)
Immigration authorities issued Setya with the ban on traveling abroad at the request of the antigraft body, following the KPK’s investigation into his alleged involvement in the e-ID graft case.
Setya reportedly played a significant role in the activities surrounding the plundering of funds allocated to the e-ID project. He is mentioned many times in the prosecution documents as having allegedly received hundreds of billions of rupiah in bribes embezzled from the Rp 5.9 trillion (US$440 million) project.
The KPK has questioned him several times as a witness but has yet to name him a suspect. (dan)
