Jakarta – The government continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to strengthening the corruption eradication agenda in Indonesia. One of the strategic steps being intensified is the acceleration of the completion and ratification of the Asset Confiscation Bill.
President Prabowo Subianto, emphasized that the government will immediately complete this bill as part of a systemic effort to close the loopholes for corruptors to hide or distribute assets from their crimes.
“The Asset Confiscation Bill is an important instrument to strengthen the eradication of corruption. The state must have the authority to confiscate the proceeds of crime without having to wait for a criminal verdict first,” said President Prabowo.
“All elements of society, including workers, must work together to continue the struggle to eradicate corruption that has long harmed the nation,” he said.
President Prabowo assessed that corrupt practices not only directly rob people of their rights, but also weaken the foundations of law and justice. This is important in preventing assets from becoming further out of reach of the state.
“With this bill, law enforcement officers will have a stronger legal basis to immediately save state assets without being constrained by protracted procedures,” he continued.
In the same vein, the Head of the Attorney General’s Office’s Legal Information Center (Kapuspenkum Kejagung), Harli Siregar, welcomed President Prabowo’s move positively. According to him, the President’s support for the Asset Confiscation Bill shows a deep understanding of the real needs of law enforcement officers in dealing with increasingly sophisticated corruption practices.
“President Prabowo has shown that he understands very well how law enforcement must transform. Through this bill, the recovery of state finances through the confiscation of corruptors’ assets can be carried out more quickly and effectively, even without having to wait for a criminal verdict or red notice from abroad,” said Harli.
Furthermore, he explained that so far the asset recovery process has tended to take a long time because it is waiting for a final court decision.
“With the ratification of this bill, law enforcement officers can act more proactively, especially in dealing with perpetrators who deliberately hide assets abroad or through various complicated transactions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Johanis Tanak, welcomed the President’s encouragement to accelerate the discussion of the Asset Confiscation Bill. This bill is one of the urgent needs that will strengthen the KPK’s position in tracing and confiscating the proceeds of corruption.
“With this law, we at the KPK will have a much stronger legal footing in tracing the flow of funds from crime and confiscating them to be returned to the state treasury,” explained Tanak.
Tanak also highlighted that Indonesia must catch up with other countries that have already implemented the principle of non-conviction based asset forfeiture, namely the confiscation of assets without waiting for a criminal verdict. This is considered a global standard in the fight against corruption and cross-border financial crimes.
“There are quite a few assets from corruption that are still difficult to return due to the weakness of the applicable legal mechanisms. The existence of the Asset Confiscation Bill is expected to close this gap, as has been done by other countries,” he concluded.
With full support from all parties, the existence of the Asset Confiscation Bill is expected to be an important milestone in the history of eradicating corruption in the country. This bill is not only about confiscation, but also a symbol of the state’s courage in reclaiming the people’s rights from the hands of state financial robbers.
