Experts urge the Attorney General’s Office to trace cross-border assets to prevent money laundering
An asset recovery expert and former President of ARIN-AP (Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network – Asia Pacific), Chuck Suryosumpeno, has urged the Attorney General’s Office (Kejaksaan Agung) to immediately conduct asset tracing in the case of alleged corruption involving former Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim (NM). The move is seen as crucial to mitigate cross-border money laundering risks that often accompany white-collar crime.
Chuck classifies the NM case as White Collar Crime, a form of crime characterised by its systematic nature and carried out without physical violence. ‘The crime committed by NM is a white-collar offence. Its hallmark is deceit and abuse of authority by individuals holding high office,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.
He noted these criminals are usually professionals with access to financial systems and sensitive information. Because the acts are carried out discreetly, the resulting losses are often only detected long after the event, eroding economic stability and public trust.
To fully uncover the case, he stressed the importance of employing advanced technical instruments. ‘What is needed are specialised skills involving forensic auditing and in-depth financial data analysis to unravel the complexity of this case,’ he added.
While he highly appreciates the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) for unveiling the NM case, he underscored the importance of the asset recovery stage. He reminded that corruption at the ministerial level almost always involves cross-border money laundering, especially via safe havens such as the Cayman Islands. Asset tracing should be conducted as early as possible during the investigation to facilitate the eventual recovery of state losses,’ he asserted.
He is optimistic that the Attorney General’s Office can handle this cross-border challenge, given the institution’s past success through the International Asset Recovery network. He hopes the NM case will mark a turning point for strengthening the recovery of crime proceeds in Indonesia, in a transparent and accountable manner.
Safaruddin, a member of the House of Representatives Commission III, plans to hold a dedicated hearing with three law enforcement agencies to clarify next steps following a report from the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).
Uchok Sky Khadafi, director of the Center Of Budget (CBA), has urged the courts to strip those responsible in the Ponzi investment case of their assets.
Nurhadi Abdurahman was again arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Sunday (29 June) in the early hours, a day after his planned release according to a court ruling. The KPK is probing ownership of assets belonging to former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil that are not yet listed in the LHKPN. The investigation concerns the procurement of advertisement contracts and compliance with reporting requirements.