This “new approach” in tackling corruption by prioritising asset recovery was then confirmed by the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra on Dec 20.
The idea was met with criticisms from legal experts and politicians, including former coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs Mahfud MD who said that the proposed approach could undermine Indonesia’s fight against corruption.
On Saturday, Prabowo warned that those who engaged in corruption cannot just repent after regretting their actions, without returning the money they stole.
“So what if he wants to repent, return the things you stole,” he said, adding that his government will continue to recover the proceeds from corruption activities if the graft offenders refuse to return them.
In his speech that was attended by thousands including several religious figures, he also reaffirmed his commitment to rooting out corruption, emphasising that Indonesia will not prosper as long as corruption remains entrenched.
LAW MINISTER APOLOGISES
Meanwhile, Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas has apologised for his earlier suggestion of implementing a “peace fine” as one of the ways the government could implement Prabowo’s idea of asset recovery from graft offenders, local media reported.
According to The Jakarta Post, following Prabowo’s controversial announcement in Cairo, Supratman had expressed support, saying that improving asset recovery in graft cases was more crucial than punishing the convicts.
“The reality is that we simply punish corruptors with the obligation to pay compensation and some other fines when in fact, the fines do not amount to the actual state losses,” he said in a press statement on Dec 23, as quoted by news agency Antara.
He then compared the asset recovery idea with the “peace fine” implemented by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), where a case can be settled out of court by paying a fine determined by the AGO.
However, AGO’s Head of the Legal Information Centre Harli Siregar on Friday refuted Supratman’s claims, saying that the peace fine is strictly for the resolution of financial crimes such as customs and excise cases and not for corruption cases, Antara reported.
In light of the backlash, Supratman has issued an apology.
“I just want to compare (possible approaches for graft convicts), it does not mean that the President will use that, absolutely not,” the minister said on Friday, as quoted by Kompas.
Supratman also clarified that Indonesia’s plans to grant amnesty to 44,000 prisoners will not include graft convicts.
Earlier, Yusril – the coordinating minister for law, human rights, immigration and corrections – had claimed that the government’s proposed pardon of graft offenders is part of the broader programme aimed at addressing the country’s overcrowded prisons.
Supratman said that those who could be pardoned include those jailed in Papua province for criticising the government, prisoners with long-term illnesses including those with mental disorders as well as drug offenders.
