CORRUPTION ERADICATION COMMISSION - JAKARTA. Graft defendant and former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto has objected to the accusations lodged against him by prosecutors of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), calling the indictment against him in the e-ID trial "invalid".
The objection from the embattled politician was included in the defense's refutation, which was read out by Setya’s legal team at Wednesday's hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court. Setya is standing trial for his alleged role in embezzling funds that were intended for the e-ID card procurement project.
“The indictment is legally flawed, as it is unclear and incomplete [and proceeds] from an invalid investigation. Therefore, we ask that the judicial panel reject the indictment,” lawyer Firman Wijaya read out.
The defense, he added, also requested that the embattled politician be released from detention once the judges had issued a decree to refute the relevancy of the indictment.
One of the key points in the refutation concerned the estimated state losses of Rp 2.3 trillion (US$161 million) that the KPK prosecutors had used in their indictment. Setya's team claimed that the figure had not come from an institution that was authorized to issue a formal estimate.
“The calculation [in the indictment] was made by the BPKP [Development Finance Comptroller] , while the authorized institution as mandated by the Constitution is the BPK [Supreme Audit Agency],” said lawyer Maqdir Ismail of the defense team.
The KPK prosecutors also listed other individuals that had allegedly benefited from the illicit scheme to rig the e-ID procurement project.
Presiding Judge Yanto adjourned the hearing until Dec. 28, when the prosecution's response to the refutation would be heard.
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