Former KPK Official Reveals Reasons Why Corruption Enforcement Remains Suboptimal

A former high-ranking official of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has highlighted the weakness of law enforcement in eradicating corruption during discussions regarding the Asset Forfeiture Bill.

Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, who served as Vice Chairman of the KPK for the 2003-2007 period, stated that weak law enforcement in Indonesia is caused by a weak accountability system and a lack of checks and balances. This is also evident in the wealth of officials, which is disproportionate to their legitimate income.

“The problem with eradicating corruption in Indonesia is not a lack of authority for law enforcement, but the primary issue is the accountability system and the lack of effective checks and balances over those powers,” Erry said during his presentation at a Public Hearing (RDPU) with Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Monday (21/09/2026).

As a result, many officials manipulate their authority to obtain illicit gains. “This makes such significant powers easy to abuse and ultimately impacts the weakness of corruption eradication,” Erry explained.

Furthermore, misunderstandings regarding the prosecution of corrupt actors are being exploited by corruptors to manipulate their sentences. “Corrupt actors do not aim to harm the state or state finances, but always to obtain profit, whether through abusing authority in procurement, receiving or giving bribes, embezzling goods, receiving illegal levies, extortion, and so on,” he said.

According to him, these misunderstandings also cause law enforcement to lose focus; instead of tracing the proceeds of crime, the focus has shifted towards merely calculating the total amount of state financial losses.