Amnesty International: Law Enforcement in Febrie Case Must Be Free from Intervention

Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, has sharply criticised the handling of an alleged coal corruption case that has had a wide impact on the public, including triggering mass blackouts in Sumatra. The case has drawn public attention as it implicates former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Febri Adriansyah. Usman stressed that the energy crisis rooted in corrupt practices constitutes a violation of the public’s right to an adequate standard of living, a right guaranteed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), ratified through Law Number 11 of 2005. “Given the magnitude of the public loss, law enforcement in this case must be transparent, objective, and free from obstacles and intervention,” Usman said during a public discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday. Beyond the substance of the corruption, Usman highlighted the presence of uniformed TNI personnel securing Febri Adriansyah’s residence and the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters. He questioned the use of Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025 on Prosecutor Protection as justification for the military headquarters’ involvement. “This indicates a threat of remilitarisation in the civilian law enforcement sphere. The state must ensure military institutions do not overstep their bounds. This coal corruption case must be thoroughly investigated without the shadow of military or political power intervention,” he asserted. Echoing Amnesty’s concerns, constitutional law academic Abd. Rorano argued that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) must fully take over the case involving Febri Adriansyah, in accordance with the mandate of Article 10A of Law Number 19 of 2019, to avoid a conflict of interest. He reminded law enforcers not to be swayed by public opinion and to focus on uncovering the intellectual actors behind the illicit financial flows. Separately, Coordinator of the Indonesian Youth Forum, Fauzan Ohorella, urged President Prabowo Subianto to evaluate Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2025, warning that privileges granted to judicial institutions could be misused.