Setya Novanto

Setya Novanto (born 12 November 1955), colloquially referred to as Setnov, is a former Indonesian politician, presently serving a 15 year jail sentence for corruption.

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.

After he completed kindergarten, his family moved to the East Java capital of Surabaya, where he went to elementary school.

His parents later divorced, with his father remaining in Surabaya, while his mother and the children moved to Jakarta in 1967.

His mother made a living by selling cakes from door to door.

Setya attended Tebet Junior High School 73 (1967–70) and then Senior High School 9 in South Jakarta (1970–73).

After high school, Setya moved back to Surabaya for higher education, but he reportedly refused to stay with his father and instead stayed with friends.

He studied accounting management at Widya Mandala Catholic University.

He 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.

He also operated a stall at the city’s Keputren Market but reportedly fell afoul of dishonest partners.

While still a student, Setya founded a company called Mandar Teguh with Hartawan, the son of the director of Bank Rakyat Indonesia for Surabaya.

He was hired by a Suzuki dealership as a car salesman for the Eastern Indonesia region.

He also worked as a model and was awarded the title of Most Handsome Man of Surabaya in 1975.

After graduating from university in 1979, Setya worked for PT Anindya Cipta Perdana, a company variously described as a distributor of fertilizer, cement and building materials for East Nusa Tenggara province.

The company was owned by Setya’s former high school classmate, Hayono Isman, who would later become youth affairs and sports minister under president Suharto.

PT Anindya Cipta Perdana reportedly failed after two years, but it led to Setya's long-running involvement with East Nusa Tenggara, which he would later represent as a legislator for four terms for Golkar Party.

He 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.

Setya returned to Jakarta in 1979 and stayed at Hayono’s Menteng house.

According to Leo Nababan, a deputy secretary general of Golkar, Setya became the personal driver of the Hayono family.

In Jakarta, Setya studied accounting at Trisakti University and opened a photocopying service near the campus to support himself.

Setya’s business career took off after he married Luciana Lily Herliyanti, the daughter of West Java Police deputy chief Brigadier General Sudharsono.

He 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.

His business interests were spread across Jakarta, Batam and Kupang.

As a businessman, Setya proved adept at lobbying and networking, especially among people close to officials, from aides to personal secretaries and subordinates.

He was also comfortable carrying the bags of high-ranking military officers, such as General Wismoyo Arismunandar.

This gave him entry to the elite community of Indonesian sports organizations, which were dominated by senior military officials and tycoons.

In 1986, Setya completed the Nagoya Plaza Hotel project on Batam Island.

Seeking more capital for a bigger resort, he tried to approach Suharto’s cousin, tycoon Sudwikatmono.

Setya reportedly spent days at a parking lot, from 6am to 10pm, trying to speak to Sudwikatmono, who finally decided to give him a chance.

Their partnership led to the opening in 1989 of the Talvas Golf and Country Club (later redeveloped as the Palm Springs Golf & Beach Resort), a 400-hectare golf course and resort on Batam that cost $100 million.

Born in Bandung, he entered politics in 1998 after a business career and became a member of the People's Representative Council following the 1999 general election.

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.

However, his political career was plagued by corruption scandals.

After he was re-elected for a third time in the 2014 general election, won by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he was appointed DPR (Parliament) Speaker by the majority opposition coalition.

He 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.

Despite facing multiple allegations of corruption, he did not face trial until implicated in the embezzlement of funds from a national electronic ID card program.

He was chairman of Golkar Party and speaker of the People's Representative Council (Indonesian: Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, DPR) until his arrest in 2017 for corruption.

Following his arrest by the Corruption Eradication Commission in November 2017, he resigned as DPR speaker for a second time and was later removed as Golkar chairman.

He was sentenced to 15 years in jail in April 2018.

Since then, he has often left jail, purportedly for medical examinations, although he was once spotted at a shopping center.