PDIP Legislator: Many Corruptors Are No Longer Afraid of Imprisonment
I Wayan Sudirta, a member of Commission III of the DPR from the PDIP Faction, revealed that many corruptors are currently unafraid of being imprisoned due to weak supervision and easy manipulation.
According to Wayan, many corruptors who have been found guilty and sentenced to prison are, without public knowledge, residing in boarding houses near the prison as if they were free individuals.
“It has been proven that many corruptors who are arrested, detained, and imprisoned live in boarding houses next to the prison; they are not afraid of being jailed,” said Wayan during a follow-up meeting regarding the aspirations for the Asset Forfeiture Bill in the DPR’s Commission III on Monday (14/9).
On that occasion, Wayan emphasised his faction’s support for the immediate ratification of the Asset Forfeiture Bill. However, he stressed that its implementation by law enforcement agencies must be consistent.
Wayan assessed that the state must not lose to corruptors. Furthermore, he supports the discourse on the impoverishment of corruptors within the Asset Forfeiture Bill, whereby seized assets must be returned to the state.
“Imprisonment is important because they are guilty, but it is more important to recover the state’s losses,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Asset Forfeiture Bill must continue to protect the rights of every citizen. The law must not be used to carry out arbitrary actions against citizens under the guise of tackling corruption.
Therefore, legal protection for them must also be guaranteed within the legislation. According to Wayan, they must be given the right to a maximum defence.
Additionally, the legislator from Bali also warned against the politicisation of the implementation of the asset forfeiture law. He cited the case of a businessman in Russia who was impoverished simply for being in the opposition.
“Avoid politicisation, because in Russia, there was once a powerful businessman who, because he was in opposition, was arrested without a clear reason, and this became global news. We have already anticipated this,” he said.