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View all search resultsSetya Novanto’s parole hurts antigraft commitment, critics say
Former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto was released early from prison after receiving parole on Independence Day, sparking furor among the public and antigraft activists.
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Former House of Representatives speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto sits in the courtroom on April 24, 2018, during a hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta. Setya, once among Indonesia's most influential politicians, was accused of taking millions in kickbacks and bribes linked to the issuance of e-IDs. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he early release of former House of Representatives speaker and graft convict Setya Novanto has sparked criticism from antigraft activists, who argue the decision could further erode the country’s anticorruption commitment and undermine efforts to root out corruption among officials.
Setya, also a disgraced Golkar Party chair, was granted parole on Saturday, a day before the Independence Day celebration.
He was released on the same day from the Sukamiskin Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java, where he has served his prison sentence after the court found him guilty in 2018 of accepting bribes pertaining to the rigging of the e-ID procurement project. The case caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$141 million) in state losses.
Initially sentenced to 15 years in prison, Setya received a sentence cut after the Supreme Court ruled in his favor in a case review he filed in 2020. The court reduced his sentence to 12.5 years, making him eligible for parole this year after serving two-thirds of his prison term.
Although Setya has been released from prison, he is obliged to report to the Bandung Correctional Board (Bapas) once a month until April 2029, as confirmed by the Immigration and Corrections Ministry’s corrections directorate general spokesperson Rika Aprianti to The Jakarta Post.
He is also only allowed to engage in politics 2.5 years after the official end of his prison term, as mandated by the Supreme Court’s ruling for his case review.
Rika also dismissed allegations that Setya’s parole was an act of favoritism: “All inmates who are granted parole are subject to close consideration.”
