TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Indonesian House Speaker Setya Novanto remains unable to return to politics despite being granted parole ahead of Indonesia's 80th Independence Day on August 16, 2025.
This parole was granted to Setya Novanto because he had served two-thirds of the required imprisonment period. Due to this parole, the Golkar politician is still required to report until April 1, 2029. According to the Director General of Corrections, Mashudi, Setya Novanto's political rights will only be fully restored after the mandatory reporting period ends in 2029.
"He still must report until 2029. During this period, his political rights are still limited according to the court's decision," Mashudi said after the general remission for Indonesia's 80th Independence Day on August 17, 2025, at the Class II A Salemba Prison.
Mashudi mentioned that Setya Novanto will only be completely free in 2029 after completing the reporting period. The politician, commonly referred to by the initials Setnov, must report to the Correctional Institution (Bapas).
If this obligation is violated, his parole may be revoked, and he will have to serve the remaining sentence in the correctional institution. "Every inmate is entitled to receive remission without exception, including Setya Novanto," he said.
The Head of Public Relations of the Directorate General of Corrections, Rika Apriyanti, emphasized that the revocation of Setya Novanto's political rights is not a decision made by the Directorate General of Corrections, but is based on a court decision.
Rika explained that Setya Novanto's political rights will not be automatically restored upon complete release but will still have to wait for another 2.5 years. "His political rights will be revoked after 2.5 years, counted from the end of the guidance period," Rika said on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
Setya Novanto's 2018 Verdict
During the 2018 verdict at the Corruption Court, the panel of judges sentenced Setya Novanto to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the E-KTP (electronic resident identity card) corruption case. The judges found the former House Speaker guilty of corruption in the E-KTP project during the 2011-2013 fiscal years.
"The defendant, Setya Novanto, has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have committed corruption jointly," Judge Yanto said when reading the verdict on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.
Besides the 15-year imprisonment, the panel of judges also imposed a fine of Rp500 million, substitutable with 3 months of further imprisonment. Additionally, the judges revoked Setya's political rights for five years, in addition to sentencing him to 15 years in prison.
The judges stated that Setya had violated Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999, as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001, regarding the Eradication of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
The Supreme Court Grants Setya Novanto's Judicial Review
Seven years later, the Supreme Court granted a Judicial Review submitted by Setya Novanto. The Supreme Court reduced Setnov's sentence to 12 years and 6 months in prison.
"Verdict: GRANTED," read the decision quoted from the Supreme Court's website on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Case number: 32 PK/Pid.Sus/2020 was examined and judged by the chair of the panel of judges, Surya Jaya, with the members of the bench, Sinintha Yuliansih Sibarani and Sigid Triyono, and the Substitute Registrar Wendy Pratama Putra. The decision was read on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
Aside from the imprisonment, Setya was also fined Rp 500 million, substitutable with six months of further imprisonment, and ordered to pay restitution of US$7,300,000, compensated with Rp5 billion that had been deposited with the KPK investigators and had been paid by Setya.
The former House Speaker was also subjected to an additional penalty-the revocation of his right to hold a public office for 2 years and 6 months, starting from the completion of his sentence. This means that Setya can only return to politics in 2031.
Editor's Choice: Setya Novanto Freed on Parole, Reporting Obligation Runs to 2029
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
