TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Prabowo seeks House support for stalled asset forfeiture bill
President Prabowo Subianto has ruled out issuing an executive regulation on the recovery of stolen state assets, opting instead to push for deliberations of a long-stalled asset forfeiture bill with the House of Representatives.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A protester holds up a poster that reads “Fight corruption to save the nation“, on Dec. 18, 2024, during a protest in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta. The protesters demanded that the antigraft body quickly arrest and prosecute Harun Masiku, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician who has been at large after being named a suspect in a graft case in 2020. (Antara/Muhammad Ramdan)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has ruled out issuing an executive regulation on recovery of stolen state assets, opting instead to catalyze political support from the House of Representatives for quick deliberations of a long-stalled asset forfeiture bill that is expected to scale up the fight against corruption.
Calls have been mounting for Prabowo to turn his anticorruption rhetoric into action, with activists urging him to issue a government in lieu of law (Perppu) to move past legislative gridlock that has derailed deliberations of the asset forfeiture bill for over a decade.
The bill, which will allow the state to confiscate ill-gotten assets even in the absence of a criminal conviction, has been in legislative limbo since its first proposal in 2008, largely due to resistance from political parties in the House.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said on Friday that while the President considers the bill a priority, the administration is opting to build consensus with the House, which is dominated by pro-government political parties, rather than bypassing the legislative process by issuing a Perppu.
“For now, no Perppu is being prepared. The President prefers communicating with our partners in the House and with leaders of their political parties,” he said, adding that the bill had already been discussed in meetings with various party leaders.
Prasetyo reaffirmed Prabowo’s commitment to a quick enactment of the bill during his term, stressing that the President “is deeply concerned with [the sluggish progress of] the bill” and that he considers it a key part of his broader anticorruption agenda.
“[Prabowo’s commitment to the bill] is not surprising,” he said. “One of the government’s core visions is fighting corruption, this asset forfeiture bill is a direct extension of that.”
