1. Setya Novanto was chairman of Golkar Party and speaker of the People's Representative Council until his arrest in 2017 for corruption.
91 Facts About Setya Novanto
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In 1998, Setya became vice-treasurer of Golkar's central organization, and the following year was elected to the People's Representative Council, beginning his political career.
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Setya Novanto resigned as DPR speaker in late 2015 amid an ethics investigation, but the following year, he was appointed chairman of Golkar, switched the party's allegiance to the governing coalition, and was reappointed DPR speaker in November 2016.
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Setya Novanto was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in April 2018.
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The fifth of eight children, Setya Novanto was born on 12 November 1955 in the West Java capital of Bandung to Sewondo Mangunratsongko and Julia Maria Sulastri.
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Setya Novanto's mother made a living by selling cakes from door to door.
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Setya Novanto attended Tebet Junior High School 73 and then Senior High School 9 in South Jakarta.
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Setya Novanto studied accounting management at Widya Mandala Catholic University.
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Setya Novanto sold honey and rice to support himself, starting with capital of just Rp82,500 and growing to running two trucks selling rice delivered from Lamongan regency.
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Setya Novanto operated a stall at the city's Keputren Market but reportedly fell afoul of dishonest partners.
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Setya Novanto was hired by a Suzuki dealership as a car salesman for the Eastern Indonesia region.
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Setya Novanto worked as a model and was awarded the title of Most Handsome Man of Surabaya in 1975.
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Setya Novanto was owned by Setya's former high school classmate, Hayono Isman, who would later become youth affairs and sports minister under president Suharto.
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Setya Novanto was reported to be a frequent donor to churches and farmers on his visits to the province, but environmentalists accused him of exploiting local people for his financial benefit.
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Setya Novanto returned to Jakarta in 1979 and stayed at Hayono's Menteng house.
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In Jakarta, Setya Novanto studied accounting at Trisakti University and opened a photocopying service near the campus to support himself.
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Setya Novanto started managing his in-laws' gas station in Cikokol, Tangerang, then branched out into livestock, contracting, buying and selling paper and textiles, and developing hotels and golf courses.
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Setya Novanto was comfortable carrying the bags of high-ranking military officers, such as General Wismoyo Arismunandar.
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In 1986, Setya Novanto completed the Nagoya Plaza Hotel project on Batam Island.
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Setya Novanto reportedly spent days at a parking lot, from 6am to 10pm, trying to speak to Sudwikatmono, who finally decided to give him a chance.
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From 1995 to 1996, Setya Novanto was chairman of Bamuhas Kosgoro, one of Golkar's constituent organizations.
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Setya Novanto was treasurer of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia from 1995 to 2003.
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Setya Novanto first met Suharto in 1989 at the opening of the Talvas golf course on Batam.
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In 1992, Elsye Sigit, the wife of Suharto's oldest son Sigit Harjojudanto, appointed Setya Novanto to become involved in PT Solusindo Mitra Sejati, a company that was in February 1993 given a contract to computerize the system for making Indonesian identity cards.
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Setya Novanto chaired a committee that produced a 1996 book titled President Suharto's Management as Narrated by 17 Ministers.
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Setya Novanto said the book was the result of two years of hard work and he hoped it would inspire Indonesia's younger generation to emulate the science and art of Suharto's management style.
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In 1998, Setya Novanto became vice-treasurer of Golkar's central organization, and the following year was elected to the People's Representative Council representing Indonesia-occupied East Timor.
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Setya Novanto had a difficult year as East Timor voted for independence and he was caught up in a corruption scandal.
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In 2004, Setya Novanto was re-elected to the legislature as a representative from West Timor.
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Setya Novanto was re-elected in 2009, representing the same area, and became head of the Golkar Party faction in the legislature.
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Setya Novanto became a member of House Commission III, which discusses legal affairs and laws, human rights and security issues.
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In 2014, Setya Novanto was elected for a fourth time, still representing Timor, and was selected as speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives by the opposition Koalisi Merah Putih, which initially controlled the parliament.
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Setya Novanto then announced that Golkar was now supporting the government of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, despite having backed Jokowi's rival, Prabowo Subianto, in the 2014 presidential election.
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On 9 December 2017, it was reported that Setya Novanto had resigned as House speaker ahead of his corruption trial.
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Setya Novanto nominated Golkar politician Azis Syamsuddin as his successor.
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In September 2015, Setya Novanto visited New York to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
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Setya Novanto has been linked to numerous corruption cases but was never prosecuted until December 2017.
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In 1999, Setya Novanto was involved in the Bank Bali scandal.
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Setya Novanto was the president director of EGP and the deputy treasurer of Golkar, and part of Habibie's re-election team.
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Setya Novanto denied involvement despite reports he was a signatory of the transaction.
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Setya Novanto denied any knowledge of the matter when questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission.
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In 2014, Setya Novanto was linked to a corruption case involving former Constitutional Court chief Akil Mochtar, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for fixing the results of disputed elections.
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Local media alleged that Setya Novanto helped to pay to uphold the victory of Golkar's candidate in the 2009 East Java gubernatorial election.
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In 2015, Setya Novanto sent a letter demanding that state oil and gas company Pertamina pay allegedly inflated costs for use of a fuel terminal, PT Orbit Terminal Merak, owned by his crony, oil trade kingpin Riza Chalid.
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In June 2015, in one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of Indonesia, Setya Novanto was recorded by Freeport Indonesia President-Director Maroef Sjamsoeddin allegedly attempting to extort 20 percent of shares in the company in exchange for an extension of its contract to manage the Grasberg mine in Papua.
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Setya Novanto claimed to be acting for President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
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Setya Novanto mentioned the name of then-presidential chief-of-staff Luhut Binsar Panjaitan during phone calls with Sjamsoeddin.
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Setya Novanto later claimed this request for shares was only a joke.
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Setya Novanto resigned as House speaker on 16 December 2015 shortly before the committee voted to dismiss him.
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Setya Novanto subsequently petitioned the Constitutional Court for a review of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law.
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In 2013, Setya Novanto was accused of demanding a 10 percent fee from the owner of a company that won a contract to produce electronic ID cards.
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On 10 April 2017, the KPK banned Setya Novanto from leaving Indonesia for six months after linking him to the case.
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Setya Novanto claimed the attack was not only against Novel and KPK, but against "us, the Indonesian people and nation fighting against corruption".
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On 4 September 2017, Setya Novanto filed a pretrial motion with South Jakarta District Court to challenge his status as a corruption suspect.
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Setya Novanto was summoned by KPK for interrogation on 11 September 2017 but failed to appear on the grounds of poor health.
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Setya Novanto's lawyer said he would seek protection from the president, the military and the police, if the KPK tries to summon his client.
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Setya Novanto asserted that under Indonesia's constitution, members of parliament have immunity and cannot be touched.
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On 15 November 2017, Setya Novanto failed to appear at KPK's office for questioning and instead attended a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives.
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Setya Novanto's lawyer told reporters that Setya Novanto was unconscious and seriously injured, sustaining a lump the size of a bakpao to his head and bleeding.
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Setya Novanto said there was bruising to his left temple and a scratch on his left cheek.
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Setya Novanto said Setya told him he had intended to meet some Golkar officials at Jakarta's Mandarin Hotel so they could accompany him to the KPK office, but then the car accident occurred.
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Setya Novanto's lawyer claimed that if Setya were not evacuated to Singapore for treatment, he could lose his memory.
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Setya Novanto's lawyer said a "sick" person should not be arrested.
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Setya Novanto arrived in a wheelchair but was walking normally after his initial questioning.
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Setya Novanto was detained in a KPK cell measuring 2.5 x 5 meters, where his two cellmates were Rochmadi Saptogiri of the State Audit Agency and businessman Sujendi Tarsono alias Ayen.
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Setya Novanto wrote a letter to Golkar, nominating Idrus Marham as acting party chairman.
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On 13 December 2017, Setya Novanto appeared as a defendant at Jakarta Corruption Court.
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Setya Novanto initially refused to respond when the presiding judge asked him to identify himself.
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KPK prosecutors said Setya Novanto was lying and only pretending to be ill.
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In January 2018, Setya Novanto's lawyer stated his client's intention to become a justice collaborator.
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Setya Novanto was ordered to pay a fine of Rp 500 million or have his sentence extended by three months.
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Judges said Setya Novanto was spared a heavier sentence because he was polite during the trial and had never been convicted before.
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In September 2018, Indonesia's National Ombudsman found that Setya Novanto was enjoying special treatment at Bandung's Sukamiskin prison, including a cell twice the size of regular cells.
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In June 2019, Setya Novanto was allowed to visit Bandung's Santosa Hospital, where he had a room on the 8th floor.
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On 12 August 2019, Setya Novanto was sporting a beard and moustache when he testified at Jakarta Corruption Court as a witness in a power project corruption case.
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Setya Novanto joked that he had grown the beard because the other inmates at Gunung Sindur "are all terrorists".
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In December 2019, Emerson Yuntho, a former coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch, claimed Setya Novanto had again gone missing from his cell.
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On 26 December 2019, Setya Novanto was transferred to Jakarta's Cipinang prison, officially because he required treatment at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta.
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Ninik questioned why Setya Novanto had a special "very comfortable" cell with "better facilities" when the jail is not supposed to discriminate against inmates.
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Setya Novanto said Setya qualified for the special block because he had heart disease and complications of several other diseases.
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On 6 January 2020, Setya Novanto filed for a judicial review of his sentence at the Supreme Court.
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Setya Novanto was charged under Indonesia's Information and Electronic Transactions Law, as well as Articles 310 and 311 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.
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Setya Novanto was released the following day but remained under investigation and faced up to six years in jail.
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Setya Novanto urged the public to uphold the presumption of innocence and cease spreading hatred and slander against Setya.
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Setya Novanto said Setya's position as House of Representatives speaker is equal to that of the president, so he should not be mocked.
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In 2009, Setya founded the Novanto Center, an institution that carries out social, economic and community activities in East Nusa Tenggara, one of Indonesia's poorest provinces.
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Local activists claim the Setya Novanto Center facilitated the entry of an iron ore mining company, PT Laki Tangguh, which was in 2013 reported to police for alleged fraud and crimes.
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In 2015, the Setya Novanto Center established a weaving, poultry breeding and cattle fattening business in Manusak village.
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Locals say Setya Novanto stopped visiting the project in 2015, so all of the livestock and weaving looms were stolen or sold, leaving the buildings empty.
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Setya Novanto was married to Luciana Lily Herliyanti, the daughter of former West Java Police chief Brigadier General Sudharsono.
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Setya Novanto is married to Deisti Astriani and they have two children, Gavriel Putranto and Giovanno Farell.