Mahfud MD Supports Death Penalty for Major Corruption Convicts

Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, has expressed his agreement with the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) push to enforce the death penalty for corruptors. He stated that this recommendation is not a call for a new legal norm, but rather an insistence that existing regulations be executed properly.

According to Mahfud, Indonesian law permits the death penalty for serious crimes, and this aligns with Islamic law and the constitution. He pointed out that the threat of capital punishment for corruption is already stipulated under Law Number 31 of 1999. He views the MUI’s recommendation as a corrective push against the lack of firmness in law enforcement within the country.

Mahfud explained that the regulation regarding the death penalty for corruptors under certain conditions, as outlined in Article 2 paragraph (2) of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, already has a valid legal foundation consistent with constitutional principles. He stressed that such firmness is crucial, particularly for large-scale corruption classified as an extraordinary crime, which is committed intentionally and has a broad impact on public welfare.

To realise this push without causing arbitrariness, Mahfud encouraged the Supreme Court to formulate technical guidelines or clear parameter adjustments regarding the criteria for corruptors eligible for the death penalty. He suggested that this maximum punishment could be focused on high-profile corruptors where the state losses are exceptionally conspicuous, for instance, above Rp 100 billion, and where the act was committed consciously rather than through administrative negligence.