Prosecutors of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) told the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday that Setya allegedly asked witnesses in the case to not implicate the Golkar Party chairman when making testimonies.

The statement was made during a trial hearing of two defendants of the e-ID case, former high-ranking Home Ministry executives Irman and Sugiharto.

“Setya Novanto made efforts to [...] [obstruct the case] by ordering [then Home Ministry secretary general] Diah Anggraini to deliver a message to Sugiharto [asking him] to say he did not know Setya if questioned by KPK investigators,” KPK prosecutor Mufti Nur Miftah said.

During the hearing, prosecutors demanded that Irman be sentenced to seven years in prison and pay Rp 500 million (US$37,540) in fines for violating the 2001 Corruption Law. They demanded that Sugiharto be sentenced to five years in prison and pay Rp 400 million in fines.

In addition, Irman was ordered to pay $273,700, Rp 2.4 billion and S$6,000 in restitution to the state, which can be substituted with an additional two years in prison, the prosecutors said. Sugiharto was ordered to return Rp 500 million to the state or receive an additional one year in prison.

The violated articles carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison but prosecutors said the judges would consider as a mitigating factor the fact that the defendants had been declared “justice collaborators” by the KPK.

In the indictment, the KPK said that lawmakers allegedly conspired to siphon off 49 percent of the Rp 5.9 trillion project. Dozens of lawmakers, politicians and government officials have been listed as alleged recipients of the illicit money. Three people have been named as suspects in the case, namely Irman, Sugiharto and businessman Andi Agustinus alias Andi Narogong.

Golkar lawmaker Markus Nari and former Hanura Party legislator Miryam S. Haryani have been named suspects by the KPK in separate cases surrounding the project. Markus is a suspect for allegedly obstructing the e-ID investigation while Miryam has been charged with perjury for allegedly giving a false testimony in court as a witness in the e-ID case.

The prosecutors also said that Setya attended meetings, which they referred to as “meetings of interest,” with suspects and witnesses of the case.

Setya, for example, allegedly attended a meeting with Diah and Sugiharto, as well as with another suspect, businessman Andi, at the Gran Melia hotel in Jakarta.

“The meeting was a preliminary act of the crime, as basically every person attending the meeting realized that the meeting was against the law and inappropriate,” Mufti said, adding that, at that time, Setya, in his capacity as the head of the House’s Golkar faction, had the power to influence the budgeting process of the e-ID project.

The project was overseen by the House Commission II overseeing home affairs chaired by Setya’s fellow Golkar legislator Burhanudin Napitupulu.

During her testimony at the court on May 12, Diah said one meeting was attended by Setya. She did not specify as to what Setya’s alleged role was in rigging the project.

The trial has been adjourned until July 10 when the two defendants are scheduled to read their defense statements.

When asked about the accusations by reporters at the House, Setya said, “Let’s just leave it to the judges. We should trust the judges.” (yon)

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