T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has rejected a recent plan by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration to abolish prison sentences for graft convicts, calling the plan a setback to the country’s fight against corruption.

Earlier, the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister said the government was mulling to establish a regulation that would justify the move because “it’s been proven that prison terms have until now failed to have a deterrent effect.”

Instead, the government is planning a “deterrent punishment” for graft convicts, in which it seeks to establish a regulation that will enable law enforcement institutions to confiscate all assets of people convicted of corruption.

KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said the antigraft body strongly condemned the plan because the government could confiscate all assets of graft convicts without having to give exclusivity to make them immune to prison sentences.

“The KPK is even trying to find ways to make sentences have a deterrent effect on graft convicts. If it is necessary then we will also put on the table an option to legalize the death sentence for graft convicts,” Agus said on Monday.