DPR Discusses Asset Forfeiture Bill: Ensure Targets Are Truly Corruptors
House of Representatives Commission III member I Wayan Sudirta has reminded that the Asset Forfeiture Bill must focus on efforts to eradicate corruption and guarantee legal protection for the civil rights of the wider public.
Wayan stressed the importance of precision in formulating the norms of the bill to prevent potential abuse of authority by law enforcement officers that could harm citizens who acquired assets lawfully.
“Once this law is enacted, learning from various abuses of law even in developed countries, ensure that this bill when promulgated truly targets corruptors,” Wayan said during a public hearing of House Commission III at the Nusantara II Building, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday (26/8/2026).
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction politician specifically highlighted the norm concerning asset forfeiture that is disproportionate to official income. According to him, this norm must provide legal certainty for civil servants, private employees, and pensioners who have additional income beyond their main salary.
Wayan cited the difficulty of proving financial administration for ordinary citizens or elderly people who have been in business for decades but do not have detailed records.
“Has this provided a guarantee? For civil servants, for example, or private employees whose salaries are fixed, but because they have business skills on the side, their assets exceed their salary—are they still safe? A pensioner aged 70–80 who has been in business for 20 years cannot easily itemise every income they earned,” Wayan said.
Therefore, Wayan encouraged academics and legal experts to provide concrete input so that the Asset Forfeiture Bill has clear boundaries and is not open to multiple interpretations.
He emphasised that the law enforcement instruments in this bill must be sharp in pursuing assets derived from crime without sacrificing ordinary citizens or parties acting in good faith.
“These instruments must be able to maximise efforts to pursue and impoverish corruptors, without making citizens who acquired assets lawfully victims of regulatory abuse,” he concluded.