Corruptor Prisoner Remission Signals Weak Policy To Fight Corruption

ARSIP/Setya Novanto/ANTARA PHOTO/Wahah Putro A

JAKARTA - Indonesia Calling (IM) 57+ Institute regrets granting remissions or reduced sentences for convicts of corruption cases, including former DPR Speaker Setya Novanto.

The chairman of the IM 57+ Institute, Praswad Nugraha, said that this discount on the sentence period could indicate a weak policy of eradicating corruption. The impact should have been caused because the crime was taken into consideration before remission was given.

"Giving remissions to corruptors will have a broadly bad effect because the public will see that reduced sentences are a signal of weak eradication of corruption in Indonesia," Praswad said in a written statement quoted on Sunday, April 14.

Praswad assessed that Setya Novanto, who was proven to have committed corruption related to the procurement of electronic ID cards or e-KTP, should not be entitled to remission. This is because the anti-corruption commission at that time had to go through various obstacles during the legal process.

One of the most horrendous at that time was that he pretended to be sick according to the scenario made by his former lawyer, Fredrich Yunadi when he was about to be arrested.

Therefore, the IM 57+ Institute questioned the granting of this remission. "Is it a gift for the convict who during the law enforcement process carried out various maneuvers to be free from punishment deserves remission," he said.

"This is because the efforts made by SN cannot be considered a joke, ranging from the engineering of his illness to various political intervention efforts," continued Praswad.

As previously reported, Setya Novanto, who is a convicted person in a corruption case, received a one-month sentence discount during Eid al-Fitr 1445 Hijri. In total there are 240 corrupt convicts who have the same fate as him.

He also received a similar remission on Eid al-Fitr 1444 Hijri last year. As for this e-KTP mega-corruption case, Setya Novanto was sentenced to 15 years in prison whose verdict was read out at the Jakarta Corruption Court on April 24, 2018.

The panel of judges also decided that Setya Novanto must pay a fine of Rp. 500 million, subsidiary to three months in prison and pay compensation of US$ 7.3 million. In addition, his political rights were also revoked for five years after being released from prison.