Observers Highlight Manoeuvres in Former Jampidsus Case, Warn of Intervention
Jakarta – Legal observer Mohammad Saleh Gawi has said that developments in the case involving a former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) must be closely monitored by the public. According to him, the legal process must be conducted transparently and must not become a space for political interests to influence law enforcement.
The statement was made by Mohammad Saleh Gawi during a public discussion titled “Former Jampidsus and Political Manoeuvres Behind the Pre-trial: To What Extent Is the Case Opened to the Public?” organised by the Coalition of the Society for Corruption Eradication in Central Jakarta on Saturday, 15 August 2026.
Saleh said the relationship between politics and law has always been an important issue in the life of the state. According to him, politics needs law to provide direction and limits, while law needs political power in order to be enforced effectively.
“Politics without law makes power wild or brutal. Conversely, law without politics makes power impotent. Politics gives law ‘direction and limits’, while law gives politics ‘life’,” said Saleh.
However, he assessed that problems arise when law is instead positioned to protect certain political interests. Such conditions, he said, have the potential to shift law from an instrument of justice into an instrument of power.
“The problem now is when law is often subjugated for political interests, protecting friends and attacking opponents. Ironically, if that happens in a state of law like Indonesia,” he said.
Saleh also highlighted a number of recent developments in the case. He noted that investigators from the Money Laundering (TPPU) division of the Attorney General’s Office issued a new investigation order on 20 July 2026.
In addition, investigators are said to have obtained evidence in the form of 74 kilograms of gold and approximately Rp476 billion in cash, which served as the basis for conducting searches and seizures. On the other hand, the legal counsel of the former Jampidsus has also stated that they will pursue a pre-trial motion to challenge the validity of the suspect designation, detention, and seizure.
According to Saleh, the pre-trial step is a legal right of the suspect. However, the process also needs to be monitored so that it does not turn into an instrument to slow down or obscure the main case.
“Pre-trial is a way out to test the legal process. But do not let that mechanism instead open space and time for political lobbying,” he said.