Novanto`s lawyer, Firman Wijaya, said he would report several allegations of law violations committed by Said, including "allegations of slander, smearing, insult, and ITE law."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - House Speaker Setya Novanto reported Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said to the police on Wednesday in connection with an alleged case of criminal conspiracy linked to the contract extension of PT Freeport Indonesia.

"(I came) here (the criminal investigation department) to report Minister Sudirman Said," Novantos lawyer, Firman Wijaya, stated.

He said he would report several allegations of law violations committed by Said, including "allegations of slander, smearing, insult, and ITE law."

He clarified that the effort was being made to clear out allegations being leveled against his client so far.

"Setnovs reputation (Setya Novanto) has been smeared. This is a serious matter. We wish to straighten out the allegations, and therefore, we reported it to Bareskrim (the police)," he noted.

Minister Said had reported Novanto to the parliaments Ethics Council (MKD) on grounds of alleged ethics violations related to Freeport Indonesias contract extension.

The MKD has grilled Said and President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia Maroef Sjamsuddin.

Meanwhile, Novanto has declined to answer any question pertaining to his conversation with Sjamsuddin and businessman Riza Chalid during a meeting that was recorded by Maroef and reported by Said to the MKD as evidence.

He declared he was not guilty in the case.

Chalid, who was scheduled to be grilled on Thursday (Dec. 3), failed to meet the summon as he was abroad.

Akbar Faisal, a member of the MKD, said he had information that both President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla would report Novanto to the police.

"I heard that the president and vice president would report Setya Novanto to the police on charges of illegally using their names for personal gains," Faisal stated.

"I just heard the information, and I fully support the move," he said in a short text message here on Tuesday without naming his source.

Earlier, Said had reported Novanto to the MKD with a transcript accusing him of seeking a share in PT Freeport Indonesia in exchange of support for its bid to secure approval for a contract extension.

The US company, which has large copper and gold mines in Papua, is seeking an extension of its contract, which will expire in 2021.

According to the transcript of the conversation between Novanto and his business friend Chalid and Sjamsuddin, the house speaker used the names of the president and vice president to convince Freeport that the contract would be extended.

Widodo was said to have been furious about the session questioning Novanto being closed to the media and the attempts of Novantos supporters in the MKD to play down the gravity of the charges leveled against him.

"It does not matter that I am called crazy, insane, or hard-headed, but when it concerns the institutional authority, misusing the name of the president for a 11 percent share (in Freeport), this, I could not accept. This is a matter of propriety and morality," he affirmed yesterday.

Kalla had earlier stated that Novanto had been involved in criminal conspiracy.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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