Jakarta – The House of Representatives Ethics Council has found several anomalies in the controversial work visit of senior lawmakers to New York last month, during which House leaders also appeared with US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
House Speaker Setya Novanto and his deputy Fadli Zon were leading a group of legislators from Indonesia to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament hosted by the International Parliamentary Union, a United Nations agency, in New York.
But Ethics Council deputy chairman Junimart Girsang said Setya and Fadli were among twenty Indonesian lawmakers attending the event although the House has officially agreed to send only seven. The lawmakers also attended events and meetings not on the official agenda, including one with Trump.
Many lawmakers also did not immediately return home, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician added, including Setya and Fadli. The conference lasted from Aug. 31 to Sep. 2 and the Trump meeting occurred on Sept. 3.
The Ethics Council on Monday summoned Setya and Fadli to verify the discrepancies, but both failed to appear.
Ethics Council member Syarifuddin Sudding said Setya wrote to the Council that he had to attend "other activities." Fadli also notified the council of his absence, asked it to explain the accusations against him before he would appear voluntarily.
However, the People's Conscience (Hanura) Party politician said the council would do no such thing. "There is no requirement for us to do so," Syarifuddin said. The hearing will now be rescheduled for next Monday.
Setya and Fadli, who both have said that they will cooperate with the Ethics Council's investigation, have snubbed repeated calls to explain what happened during the trip.
Junimart earlier warned the pair that the Council could call the police to haul the two speakers in front of the Council or impose sanctions without a formal ethics hearing if the pair continued to dodge questioning.
Setya and Fadli's appearance at a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York, during which Trump signed a loyalty pledge to the Republican Party, sparked an uproar in Indonesia, with many labeling their presence as inappropriate.