Legal Expert Urges Probe into Other Parties in Ex-Prosecutor's Corruption Case

Legal expert on money laundering (TPPU), Yenti Garnasih, has urged law enforcement to uncover the alleged involvement of other parties in the case of former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Febrie Ardiansyah. She cautioned against hastily concluding that Ardiansyah is the sole individual deserving of severe punishment, suggesting others with significant roles may yet be identified.

“Do not rush to conclude that he is the only one who should be severely punished. It is possible that other parties with major roles will be found who are equally deserving of a heavy sentence,” Yenti stated in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

“However, if proven to have committed corruption and money laundering, the punishment should indeed be the most severe. This is because the individual held a very high position in law enforcement,” she added.

Yenti suspects the case involving Febrie Ardiansyah concerns a much larger sum. She argued that the sheer size of the alleged bribe or ‘smoothing’ money indicates the underlying corruption case must be of a fantastic value. “If the smoothing money alone is that large, the question is, how big was the case being smoothed over or covered up? The logic is simple. If someone commits corruption of IDR 1 trillion, it is impossible for them to give IDR 2 trillion to the person helping them. The amount of the bribe must be far smaller than the value of the main crime,” she explained.

Yenti also highlighted the transfer of the case to the Attorney General’s Office. She argued that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should have taken over the handling of the case, as it is the only institution with the authority to take over cases from other bodies. “This is not about belittling the police or the prosecutor’s office. This is how our legal system is designed… The KPK was given the authority to take over a case if there is a conflict of interest, problematic handling, or if it becomes a public spotlight,” she said.