Ratu Atut Chosiyah (born 16 May 1962) is a former governor of Banten, Indonesia. She was suspended from office in 2014 because of a corruption case. She held office for several terms. Before her election as governor in 2006, she was the deputy governor under Djoko Munandar starting from 11 January 2002. Djoko was involved in a corruption case and was suspended from office in October 2005.Multa Fidrus, 'Banten governor passes the baton; , The Jakarta Post, 22 October 2005. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed Ratu Atut as the acting governor to take over Djoko's administrative duties and she later became governor.'Banten Governor gets two years for corruption' , The Jakarta Post, 22 December 2005. She thus became the first female governor in Indonesia. In May 2014, she was formally charged by the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission for alleged corruption.Novianti Setuningsih, 'Ratu Atut May Face 15-Year Prison Term for Bribery', The Jakarta Globe, 7 May 2014. In early September 2014, she was sentenced to a four-year term of imprisonment on the charges brought by the Commission against her.Haeril Halim, 'Four-year sentence for Banten governor condemned', The Jakarta Post, 2 September 2014. In September 2022, Ratu Atut was released on parole.
Political career
Deputy Governor Atut firstly took office as deputy governor under governor Djoko Munandar in 2002 making her the first woman deputy governor in Indonesia. In 2005 Djoko Munandar was removed from office for corruption. Atut was sworn in as acting governor in 2006 until Djoko's term ended in January 2007.
2006 Election As caretaker governor, she was responsible for the preparations for the 2006 provincial election. She decided to nominate and select Mohammad Masduki as her running mate in the deputy governor (wakil gubernur) slot. She won the election held on 26 November 2006 and became governor for the period of 2006–2011. She was sworn into office along with her deputy governor, Mohammad Masduki, by the minister of interior Muhammad Ma'ruf on 11 January 2007.
Governorship (2007–2014)
Activities as governor As governor, Ratu Atut was active in building links between political and business circles in Banten. She supported plans for large investments to expand the Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport located within Banten province by developing and integrating a planned airport in Pandeglang. She also involved the Banten government in active support for the proposed Sunda Strait Bridge mega project in 2009, which would have likely cost more than $US 6.5 billion (Rp. 100 trillion) if plans for the construction of the bridge had gone ahead.
2011 Election Ratu Atut stood for election again in the 2011 provincial elections with former singer Rano Karno as her running mate for deputy governor.Rano 'Si Doel' Karno is Banten's Incumbent Governor's Running Mate , The Jakarta Globe, 15 July 2011. She was supported by two of the largest political parties in Indonesia, Golkar and the PDI-P (Partai Demokrat Indonesia-Perjuangan), and won the election comfortably with 49.6% of the vote.Hans David Tampubolon, 'Atut declared winner in Banten gubernatorial election', The Jakarta Post, 31 October 2011. Initially, the vote was challenged by the losing candidates.'Atut-Rano set to be inaugurated' , The Jakarta Post, 22 November 2011. However, in November 2011 the Constitutional Court rejected the challenges clearing the way for Ratu Atut to become governor of Banten for a second time.Pasangan Atut-Rano menangkan Pemilukada Banten (Atut-Rano Kano team win 2011 Banten Election). She was sworn into office for a five-year term 2012–2017 by minister of the interior Gamawan Fauzi on 11 January 2012.'Ratu Atut installed as Banten governor for a second time' , The Jakarta Post, 11 January 2012.
Corruption allegations
2013
On 3 October 2013 Ratu Atut was forbidden from travelling overseas by the Indonesian Immigration authorities on account of a number of corruption investigations in which her family was suspected of involvement.'Ratu Atut prevented from travelling overseas'. Kompas daily, 3 October 2013. The imposition of the travel ban, and the reports that her brother Tubagus Chaeri Wardana (often known as "Wawan") was involved in a case of bribery involving the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, encouraged some Banten residents to stage a protest outside the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi or KPK) about her activities as governor of the province.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'Banten rises up against House of Atut', The Jakarta Post, 8 October 2013. On Friday 11 October 2013 Ratu Atut, in response to an official summons, attended a session at the KPK to answer questions about the bribery case involving her brother.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'Banten Governor questioned over Akil bribery scandal', The Jakarta Post, 12 October 2013.
Issues of possible corruption surrounding Atut's family widened significantly in late October when the KPK announced that an investigation had been launched into matters under the administration of Atut's sister-in-law, Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diani. The investigation, into alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical equipment in South Tangerang, were said to be into matters entirely unrelated to the bribery investigation concerning Airin's husband, Tubagus Chaeri "Wawan" Wardana.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'Another member of Atut's dynasty implicated in graft', The Jakarta Post, 23 October 2013.
The row over issues of possible corruption in Atut's family continued to attract close media attention during November 2013. On 17 December the KPK took the significant step of formally naming Atut as a suspect in connection with her alleged role in the suspected bribery of the chief justice of the Constitutional Court.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'House of Atut on edge after bold KPK move', The Jakarta Post, 18 December 2013. On 20 December, in the midst of considerable publicity, she attended a formal session at the KPK to answer questions relating to her alleged involvement in corruption. According to press reports, around 1,000 police were mobilised to ensure order in the streets near the KPK and around 40 busloads of her supporters gathered to protest the investigation into her activities.Rizky Amelia, 'Ratu Atut Appears at KPK Building as Jakarta Police Guard Against Jawara Protest', The Jakarta Globe, 20 December 2013. Later in the day, the KPK formally arrested Atut and placed her under detention.'KPK arrests Banten governor.', The Jakarta Post, 20 December 2013. Media reports quickly highlighted the sharp change in her personal fortunes, noting the contrast between her lifestyle as governor of Banten when she had lived in relatively lavish surroundings and conditions in the detention centre where she had been placed in Jakarta.Hans Nicholas Jong, 'Dark days ahead for Atut in detention', The Jakarta Post, 22 December 2013.
2014
In early January 2014, the KPK widened investigations into Atut's family dealings in Banten. The KPK decided to charge Ratu Atut with extortion in connection with charges that she attempted to bribe former chief justice of the Constitutional Court, Akil Mochtar, and it was announced that her brother, Tubagus Chaeri "Wawan" Wardana, would be charged with money laundering over his alleged involvement in a medical procurement program in Banten.'The $8 Million Mayor: "My Wealth Comes From God" ', The Jakarta Globe, 15 January 2014. She was subsequently formally detained by the KPK. Anti-corruption groups subsequently demanded that Atut be given a severe sentence.Haeril Halim, 'KPK urged to demand maximum sentence for Atut', The Jakarta Post, 11 August 2014.
In early September 2014 the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Ratu Atut to a four-year prison term. Prosecutors had asked for a 10-year term. The Deputy Chair of the KPK, Busryo Muqoddas, commented that the sentence of four years was a light one given the damage caused by Ratu Atut's actions. He said that the KPK would appeal to seek a heavier sentence. Anti-corruption organisations, such as Indonesia Corruption Watch, were also critical of the judgement.
2015
In February 2015 the Indonesian Supreme Court turned down an appeal by Ratu Atut against her sentence and increased the term of her imprisonment to seven years. At the same time the court determined that a lawyer who acted for Ratu Atut in bribery transactions would also be imprisoned for seven years.'Supreme Court gives heavier sentence to Atut Chosiyah', The Jakarta Post, 23 February 2015. Several months later, in June, it was announced that the Supreme Court had stripped Ratu Atut of her right to run for public office following her conviction for corruption.Ina Parlina, 'Atut stripped of right to public office', The Jakarta Post, 25 June 2015.
2017
In July 2017, Ratu Atut was sentenced to an additional 5 years in prison alongside $16 thousand (Rp. 250 million) in fines or an additional 6 months behind bars for her role in a graft case surrounding a 2012 project to obtain medical equipment in Banten. She was found guilty of misusing the provincial health agency's funds, leading to $6 million in provincial losses, as well as for extorting $35 thousand (Rp. 500 million) from her subordinates for investigation fees. She did not appeal her sentence.
2022
In September 2022, Ratu Atut was released on parole from Class IIA Tangerang Penitentiary after having received a 3 month commutation of her sentence on the 77th anniversary of the Indonesian Independence Day, thereby meeting the substantive and administrative conditions for parole. She will remain on probation until her actual release date of July 8, 2025.
Corruption in Banten
Allegations about corruption within the Banten administration are made more sensitive by the fact that there are well-known historical overtones to the issue of corruption in the area. Severe local poverty has long been a marked feature of some parts of the Banten region. Areas near the provincial capital, Serang, and south of Serang in Lebak and Pandeglang, are known for their high levels of poverty.'Students occupy Ratu Atut's lavish official residence', The Jakarta Post, 24 October 2013. Extensive poverty in the Lebak area, and the failure of government policies to address the issue, stirred up an international furore when the controversial novel Max Havelaar by Multatuli was published in The Netherlands in 1860. Much of Max Havelaar is set in the Lebak region where the protagonist, young Dutch colonial official Max Havelaar, is presented as battling against a corrupt local Dutch government system.
Honours Lencana Melati Satyalancana Pendidikan Satyalancana Wira Karya Satyalancana Pembangunan Satyalancana Kebhaktian Sosial
Family political links
Ratu Atut's family is well-connected in political and government circles in Banten. Her father, Haji Tubagus Chasan Sochib (often known as Haji Hasan) who died in mid-2011, was a widely known and somewhat controversial business entrepreneur and community leader in the Banten area.'Ini dia sumbangsih Chasan Sochib untuk Banten' (This was the contribution of Chasan Sochib to Banten), and 'Dinasti Rau kehilangan Chasan Sochib' (The Rau dynasty loses Chasan Sochib), both in Republika Online, 30 June 2011.