ust a few months into his term, President Prabowo Subianto faced a test of his commitment to integrity after he proposed a form of amnesty for corrupt individuals and to keep their crimes a secret as long as they returned their ill-gotten wealth to the state. After mounting criticism, however, he displayed his intention to assertively deal with graft, saying those found guilty of stealing state money should serve 50 years in prison.
Prabowo said the culture of markups and budget misappropriation must be eliminated since they adversely affect the country and people. He argued that government officials should play an important role in ensuring clean and transparent budget management.
Prabowo has also promoted the utilization of digital technology, such as e-catalogues and e-government, to reduce corruption in the bureaucracy.
Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the amnesty would be offered to those found guilty of drug abuse, slander against the head of state and treason, apart from graft convicts.
According to Yusril, more than just punishing people who commit acts of corruption, the battle against graft should benefit the state and economy. This is because corruption inflicts material losses on the state.
Legal experts have criticized the idea as the prevailing law regulating the reimbursement of state losses by fraudsters does not eliminate serving time in prison or any other criminal consequences.
Such an arrangement has been tried in the case of Achsanul Qosasi, a former Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) member, who returned around Rp 40 billion in bribe money in the case of the Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) while still serving his jail term.
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