Analysts Say Public Trust in Prosecutor's Office Tested by Ex-JAM-Pidsus Case

Senior researcher at the Forum Masyarakat Pemerhati Parlemen (Formappi), Lucius Karus, has stated that the alleged corruption and money laundering case involving former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (JAM-Pidsus), Febrie Adriansyah, is a severe test for the Attorney General’s Office. He highlighted emerging public doubts regarding the independence of the case handling, noting that the current Pidsus investigators were once subordinates of the suspect. ‘The public is monitoring and waiting to see how far the Prosecutor’s Office will uncover, dismantle, and prosecute Febrie Adriansyah. However, the public is also sceptical because the investigators, especially in Pidsus, are Febrie’s former staff,’ Lucius said during a discussion in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

Lucius added that the poor state of corruption eradication in the country is partly due to the non-compliance of state officials in honestly and orderly reporting their wealth to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). This dishonesty in wealth reporting ultimately hampers law enforcement when tracking assets related to money laundering offences. He stressed that the case involving the former JAM-Pidsus must serve as a reform step to improve legislation and prove the state’s commitment to eradicating corruption.

Criminal law expert Mohammad Saleh Gawi urged the public to closely monitor the case handling following its transfer from the police to the Attorney General’s Office. He noted that firm legal action is necessary, especially since the police have seized assets estimated at more than Rp540 billion across 12 locations. He argued that the process would be more efficient if the Attorney General’s Office handled both the investigation and prosecution. The Attorney General’s Office has issued an investigation order for the money laundering case linked to alleged corruption involving gold bars and foreign currency worth hundreds of billions of rupiah, which implicates Febrie Adriansyah. The office has also been urged to bravely uncover the potential involvement of other parties, while officials have stated that the investigation will be conducted transparently and professionally, confirming that all seized evidence is legally under their control.