Prabowo on Proposals for the Death Penalty for Corruptors

President Prabowo Subianto has addressed the growing calls for the implementation of the death penalty for corruptors, stating that there are many factors that must be considered.

Prabowo shared his views during the interview programme ‘President Prabowo Subianto Answers’, as seen on the Prabowo Subianto YouTube channel on Friday (18/09/2026). He responded to a question regarding his perspective on capital punishment for those convicted of corruption.

“There is currently a lot of buzz, Sir, regarding the push to provide a deterrent effect, acting as a long-term ultimatum, where corruptors are executed. I would like to ask for your holistic view on this, Sir?” asked the interviewer.

“The issue is not specifically about the corruptors. The issue is with anyone who is sentenced to death. The problem is, if it is carried out, it cannot be revoked. Yet, sometimes the evidence is insufficient,” replied Prabowo.

Prabowo touched upon the possibility of individuals being executed only to be proven innocent later. He cited advancements in technology that can assist in uncovering the facts of a case.

“In fact, many who have been executed were innocent. There is a certain percentage in America where this has been proven. Now, there are DNA tests and so on,” he said.

According to Prabowo, the more important aspect of eradicating corruption is a strong and firm legal system. He also emphasised the importance of recovering the proceeds of corruption.

“So, in my view, the most important things are decisive action, the system, and the efforts to recover those funds,” he stated.

Prabowo acknowledged that the effort to pursue and recover corrupt funds is not an easy task, as some perpetrators flee abroad.

“But yes, it is not easy, true, it is not easy. Many flee abroad, right?” he said.

Prabowo stated that the government has methods to pursue perpetrators, mentioning cooperation through Interpol as one of the available means.

“But we now have a system, we have Interpol and so on; we will continue to pursue them. I believe we also have it in our Criminal Code—I am not a legal expert, to be honest—but if I am not mistaken, corruption involving natural disaster funds carries very heavy penalties,” he concluded.