Indonesian Speaker Setya Novanto Wanted over Corruption Scandal, Turns up in Hospital Emergency Room

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesia’s missing parliamentary Speaker, who vanished as anti-corruption investigators closed in on him, is found in a hospital emergency department heavily bandaged claiming he was in a car accident.

Anti-corruption investigators in Indonesia cannot find the Speaker of the nation’s Parliament.

Setya Novanto is wanted for questioning over a vast corruption scandal involving a botched effort to issue Indonesians with electronic identity cards, radioaustralia.net reported.

As the chairman of one of Indonesia’s largest political parties and an influential powerbroker, Setya is one of Indonesia’s most important politicians and attempts to prosecute him have implications for the re-election hopes of his political ally, President Joko Widodo.

Setya is extremely well connected.

Praised as a “Great man”

In 2016 he was praised as a “great man” by then US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

But corruption rumours have dogged Setya for years.

Investigators with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have been trying to question Setya for months over his role in the $700 million e-ID affair.

The so-called smart cards were supposed to provide easy electronic access to all kinds of government services. The rollout has been slow and the cards do not do much at all.

The KPK said corrupt politicians stole the money that was set aside for the scheme.

KPK investigators have summoned Setya 11 times without success, and last night they took the bold step of going directly to his home to bring him in.

But he was not home, and now nobody seems to know where he is. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)