An Indonesian court sitting in Jakarta, the country’s capital on Tuesday jailed Setya Novanto, a former speaker of the country’s parliament for 15 years for causing the state losses of around $170 million linked to a national electronic identity card scheme.

“The defendant was found guilty of conspiring to commit corruption and is sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 500million rupiah, (equivalent to $36,000),” Yanto, the head of a panel of five judges told the Jakarta court.

Yanto added that the defendant has also been barred from holding public office for five years after serving his sentence and would have to repay the $7.3 million he had plundered during his tenure as Speaker.

Novanto showed little emotion as the judges reeled out dozens of case notes, including descriptions of where the former speaker held meetings to divert and stash cash made from the identity card contract, in a session that listed for more than three hours.

 

After a quick consultation with his legal team, Novanto, who was accused by the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission, known by its Indonesian initials of KPK, of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme to steal $173 million told the court that he would take time to consider whether to appeal against the sentence.

 

The KPK has remained one of Southeast Asia’s most effective and independent anti-corruption agencies which have over the past years jailed ministers, governors, judges and other high-ranking government officials.

 

Novanto gained a measure of international fame in September 2015 when Donald Trump, then United States presidential candidate hailed him as a “great man” at a news conference in New York.

 

Although Indonesians are used to large corruption scandals, Tuesday’s ruling has reinforced a widely held perception that the country’s parliament, long regarded as riddled with corruption is a failing institution.