Supreme Court Says Setya Novanto Pretrial Ruling Final, Binding

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Supreme Court (MA) has said that the judge’s ruling in Setya Novanto pretrial motion is final and binding. MA spokesman Suhadi said today that the court cannot interfere with the judicial aspect of the ruling.

South Jakarta District Court on Friday approved Novanto’s pretrial motion against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) challenging his suspect status in the electronic identity cards (e-KTP) case. Judge Cepi said that Setya Novanto suspect status was not based on the KPK’s standard operating procedure (SOP) and the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).

Read: KPK Says Has New Evidence to Charge Setya Novanto

Setya was named as a suspect in the e-KTP graft case on July 17. The KPK has named five suspects overall including Irman, Sugiharto, Andi Narogong, Markus Nari and Anang Sugiana Sudihardjo. Only the first two have been sentenced to prison by the South Jakarta Corruption Court.

Judge Cepi’s ruling has sparked controversy. The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) researcher Erasmus Napitupulu has criticized the ruling. He said that one of the most notable issues is judge Cepi’s conclusion that evidence in Setya Novanto case should not have already been used in the case implicating other defendants, Irman and Sugiharto. The fact is, Chapter V of the Criminal Code regulates that evidence may be used in two separate investigations in a crime committed by more than one individuals. The Supreme Court said that the controversy over the pretrial ruling is normal.

FAJAR FEBRIANTO