The Jakarta Corruption Court is set to read out its verdict in a corruption case against former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto.

The embattled politician is being tried for allegedly playing a major role in the e-ID graft case, which has reportedly caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$164 million) in state losses.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors demanded a 16-year prison sentence and Rp 1 billion in fines for Setya during a hearing on March 29. 

The sentence demand also stipulated the KPK’s rejection of the defendant’s request for justice collaborator status, which would have made him eligible for a lighter sentence and sentence remission.

According to his indictment, Setya is accused of rigging the project’s tender. He is also suspected of accepting illicit funds from the project through printing company PT Murakabi Sejahtera.

The antigraft body renamed Setya a suspect in the case in November last year after the South Jakarta District Court approved his pretrial motion challenging his suspect status three months earlier.

When graft busters attempted to arrest him on Nov. 15 for repeatedly skipping questioning, Setya went missing. He was later found to have been involved in a car accident. The KPK eventually detained him after doctors declared him fit to be questioned. (ebf)