TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Setya acknowledges knowing Andi, denies e-KTP links
Change Size
He knows nothing: Indonesian House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto (right) chats with Saudi Arabian Parliament official Sheikh Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Syeikh (left) during a bilateral meeting between the two institutions in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Feb. 16. (Antara/Agung Rajasa)
H
ouse of Representatives Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto has said that he knows Andi Agustinus, a businessman implicated in the mega scandal related to the procurement of electronic identity cards (e-KTP), but claims their relationship only extends to buying and selling shirts.
"I've met Andi, but only in the capacity of buying and selling shirts. At that time [the House's 2009-2014 term] I was the party's treasurer," Setya said on Wednesday.
The e-KTP program is a hallmark program for the government that began during the administration of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also the Democratic Party’s chief patron.
The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has said that state losses resulting from the corruption amounted to Rp 2.5 trillion (US$192 million) from the total project value of Rp 5.9 trillion.
(Read also: House speaker denies involvement in e-KTP graft case)
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has so far named two suspects, the Home Ministry’s former director general for population and civil registration Irman, and Sugiharto, a former managing director of population administrative information at the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration.
Speculation is rife that Andi, a businessman from Bekasi, West Java, played a part in arranging the corruption with Irman and Sugiharto. Setya alone is mentioned to have received hundreds of billions.
"There was never such a meeting with Nazaruddin or others to talk about the e-KTP project," he claimed. (jun)
