Anticipating 'Fox Guarding the Henhouse', Yusril Urges Public to Scrutinise Febrie Adriansyah Case

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, has responded to the transfer of three corruption cases involving former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Febrie Adriansyah from the Police to the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung). Yusril assessed that, normatively, this unified approach is more efficient. He concurred with the Attorney General’s Office’s argument that handling the investigation directly by the Adhyaksa Corps can cut through law enforcement bureaucracy. “There is truth in what the Attorney General’s Office conveyed. From a procedural law perspective, case resolution can indeed be faster if the investigation is conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office. If the Police investigate while the Prosecutor prosecutes, case files can go back and forth before being declared complete. If the Prosecutor’s Office both investigates and prosecutes, the process becomes more efficient as it is under one roof,” Yusril said in Jakarta on Monday. However, Yusril emphasised that efficiency and speed are no longer the main challenges. The focus has now shifted to the integrity, independence, and objectivity of the Attorney General’s Office in examining its own former high-ranking official. Yusril considered it natural for public concerns to arise that the handling of this case might be biased or merely a formality. “The public will certainly question whether this becomes a case of ‘the fox guarding the henhouse’, because the investigators and public prosecutors handling the case were once subordinates of the suspect. Such doubts must be answered through a legal process that is firm, professional, and transparent,” Yusril explained. Nevertheless, Yusril expressed optimism that the Attorney General’s Office would uphold its institutional dignity. He stated that this major corruption scandal must be used as a moment for the prosecutor’s investigators to prove themselves. “Handling this case is precisely an important test to maintain the honour, dignity, and authority of the Attorney General’s Office as a law enforcement institution. I believe the investigators and public prosecutors will work with extra caution, yet remain firm and objective,” he added. As a form of functional control and oversight, Yusril reminded that national legal instruments have provided room for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to participate in supervising this investigation. “The KPK has the authority to conduct supervision in accordance with the law. In addition, public oversight is also very important so that the entire process runs according to the principles of the rule of law,” he explained. Furthermore, Yusril asserted that the government will not intervene or cover up the legal process. On the contrary, the government is opening access for all elements of the nation to oversee the judicial proceedings of the Febrie Adriansyah case. “The government is opening the widest possible space for the media, the House of Representatives, the public, anti-corruption activists, and legal experts to scrutinise and criticise the investigation and prosecution process. Thus, the law is truly enforced objectively, without being influenced by considerations outside the law,” Yusril concluded.