Legal roundup: Nadiem amnesty, Silmy Karim case development
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra emphasised that there has been no directive or discussion regarding amnesty for former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim. Yusril said the government respects the ongoing legal process and has not received any proposal concerning amnesty for Nadiem. ‘There has been no discussion or proposal whatsoever. Amnesty, abolition, and rehabilitation are entirely the prerogative of the President,’ Yusril said when met in Depok, West Java, on Thursday.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) examined the wife and child of former MPR Secretary-General Ma’ruf Cahyono as witnesses on Thursday to trace assets from alleged gratuities. KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the examination was needed to trace or confirm the suspect’s assets linked to the gratuity case. He added that the KPK is still investigating whether the family enjoyed any assets resulting from the gratuities.
Deputy Chairman of House Commission III Ahmad Sahroni urged the National Police to pursue the masterminds behind the rampant spam of online gambling advertisements on social media. He believes the phenomenon should not be difficult for the police to uncover as it is blatant and visible. ‘I ask the Criminal Investigation Department’s Cyber Crime Directorate to provide full support to the Ministry of Communication and Digital in eradicating online gambling spam,’ Sahroni said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
The Attorney General’s Office has filed an appeal against the Corruption Court’s verdict sentencing Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison in a Chromebook procurement corruption case. ‘The prosecution team has received the court’s decision and today declared an appeal,’ said the Head of the Attorney General’s Legal Information Centre, Anang Supriatna, in Jakarta on Thursday. He added that one of the considerations in the appeal memorandum will be the house arrest status currently imposed on Nadiem.
The KPK is investigating alleged extortion in the processing of foreign nationals’ residence permits at the Depok Class I Non-TPI Immigration Office in West Java, as part of the ongoing case against Deputy Minister of Immigration and Corrections for 2024-2026, Silmy Karim. KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the investigation was conducted by examining an employee of the Depok Immigration Office, identified as WNR, as a witness on Thursday. ‘Investigators are probing the witness from the Depok Immigration Office. The allegation is similar, involving receipt of money related to immigration services at the Depok Immigration Office,’ Budi said at the KPK’s Red and White Building in Jakarta.