Criminal Law Expert Says Returning 'Envelope' After 10 Days Does Not Eliminate Corruption Potential

A criminal law expert from Trisakti University, Abdul Fickar Hadjar, has stated that the action of Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni in returning an envelope allegedly containing money to the non-active Regent of Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing), Suhardiman Amby, does not automatically eliminate the potential for a corruption offence. He considers the time lag in returning the envelope a crucial point in assessing the presence of criminal intent (mens rea).

Fickar stressed that the fact the envelope was not returned immediately upon being handed over actually strengthens the indication of mens rea. He argued that the return, which took place 10 days after receipt, does not invalidate the criminal act that had already occurred.

“Returning the envelope not at the time of receiving it can already be qualified as accepting a bribe or at least a gratuity. So it can and must be processed legally,” Fickar said when contacted on Sunday.

Fickar highlighted the period between the handover of the envelope at the Ministry of Forestry office on 2 June 2026 and its return on 12 June 2026. The 10 working-day gap is considered to raise public questions as it opens the potential for transactional bargaining before the case came to light. Moreover, the return was reportedly only made after the Kuansing Regent was caught in a sting operation (OTT) by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

“Apart from the 10-day period, the envelope was also returned when it was already known to the public. So the mens rea is already proven as bribery or gratification,” he explained. He even suggested that President Prabowo take firm action. “The President should have dismissed and replaced him like the personnel from BGN (the MBG corruption case),” Fickar added.

Fickar urged the KPK to act immediately and conduct a thorough examination to unravel the motive behind the meeting prior to the OTT. He assessed that the admission of the return itself already constitutes strong evidence for investigators.

Previously, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni affirmed his commitment to supporting the eradication of corruption. He explained that the meeting with the Kuansing Regent on 2 June 2026 was official and open, initiated by a letter requesting an audience and documented with an attendance list and minutes.

Raja Juli claimed he only realised an envelope had been left behind by the Regent after the meeting concluded. He asserted that he immediately ordered his aide-de-camp to return the item because he felt he had no right to it. “It turned out that during the audience, the Kuansing Regent left an envelope covered with a folder. And when he left, I asked my aide to return the envelope. I did not know what was inside,” Raja Juli said in Manggala, Jakarta, on Friday (3/7).

Regarding the 10-day delay in returning the envelope, Raja Juli explained that it was due to scheduling adjustments for his busy official duties. The envelope was finally handed over directly to the Kuansing Regent on 12 June 2026 at the Kuantan Singingi Police Resort, facilitated by the Riau Regional Police Chief. Raja Juli stated that the return was made approximately 17 days before the KPK OTT took place and claimed to have documentation and a stamped receipt as proof of good faith. “This is my moral responsibility, my public responsibility. As part of the effort to eradicate corruption and gratuities, we returned the envelope whose contents I did not know,” he concluded.