Immigration Office Bans Setya Novanto From Leaving Country
Jakarta. The Immigration Office has imposed a travel ban on House Speaker Setya Novanto at a request from the national antigraft agency, which investigates him in a corruption case related to the procurement of electronic identity cards, or e-KTP.
Setya will not be able to leave Indonesia for the next six months.
Director general of immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ronny F. Sompie, said the travel ban request was filed by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Monday evening (10/04).
He did not elaborate on the connection between the ban and the e-KTP investigation.
"This question should be addressed to KPK investigators. They're the ones who have the knowledge to answer," Ronny told state news agency Antara.
During a session at the Jakarta Anticorruption Court last month, prosecutors said Setya had attended several meetings with businessman and graft suspect Andi "Narogong" Agustinus, and two former officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sugiharto and Irman, to arrange kickbacks for the House's approval of the Rp 5.9 trillion ($442 million) worth e-KTP procurement project in 2010.
At that time, Setya, who is a witness in the case, was serving the head of Golkar Party faction at the House of Representatives.
According to prosecutors, Setya and Andi were preparing the payoff for dozens of lawmakers from House Commission II, which oversees home affairs.
The commission members included Melchias Marcus Mekeng of the Golkar Party, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly and former House speaker Marzuki Ali.
The project, which was supposed to provide biometric identity cards to all Indonesians aged 17 years and older, was mothballed in October 2015 following a series of problems, including a late start, technical glitches and officials demanding payments from residents to provide the ostensibly free service.
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