DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Indonesia's Asset Forfeiture Bill Nears Passage Amid Public Pressure

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Indonesia's House of Representatives aims to pass the Asset Forfeiture Bill by December 15, 2026, responding to public protests.
  • The bill targets the seizure of movable and immovable assets connected to criminal activities, including those of disproportionate value or unclear origin.
  • Former KPK Commissioner Laode Muhammad Syarief emphasizes the bill's importance for state loss recovery and urges public oversight.

Indonesia's House of Representatives has pledged to finalize the Asset Forfeiture Bill this year, a move spurred by public demonstrations. Following protests at the DPR/MPR building, legislative leaders committed to enacting the bill into law by December 15, 2026.

I haven't read the latest draft. But the Asset Forfeiture Law should at least be able to seize assets, such as assets from criminal acts, and assets whose values are not proportional to legitimate income and cannot be reasonably explained.

— Laode Muhammad SyariefFormer KPK Commissioner Laode Muhammad Syarief explaining the expected scope of the Asset Forfeiture Law.

The bill, which has been in discussion for years, aims to seize both movable and immovable assets suspected of being linked to or resulting from criminal activities. Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Commissioner Laode Muhammad Syarief stated that the law is expected to target at least four criteria of assets connected to criminal acts. These include assets derived from criminal acts, as well as those with values disproportionate to legitimate income and unclear origins.

And other assets equivalent to the profits from criminal acts if the assets from criminal acts have been transferred or cannot be found.

— Laode Muhammad SyariefFormer KPK Commissioner Laode Muhammad Syarief detailing further conditions for asset forfeiture.

Syarief further explained that the law should also enable the forfeiture of assets used to commit crimes. Additionally, it could seize assets equivalent to the profits gained from criminal activities if the original illicit assets have been transferred or cannot be found. He stressed the bill's crucial role in recovering state losses from criminal activities and urged the public to monitor its progress.

Therefore, the public really needs to oversee it.

— Laode Muhammad SyariefFormer KPK Commissioner Laode Muhammad Syarief emphasizing the need for public vigilance regarding the bill.

A key provision in the draft bill allows for asset forfeiture without a prior criminal conviction of the owner. Article 2 states that forfeiture under this law does not require a verdict against the perpetrator. However, Article 3 clarifies that this does not preclude criminal prosecution, ensuring that asset seizure does not negate the possibility of penalizing the offender.

Asset forfeiture based on this Law is not based on the imposition of a criminal sentence on the perpetrator of the criminal act.

— Article 2 draft RUU Perampasan AsetQuoting the draft bill's provision on forfeiture without a criminal conviction.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog