Sahroni Discusses Risks of Abuse in Asset Confiscation Law
Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission III, Ahmad Sahroni, has reminded stakeholders to handle the discussion of the Asset Confiscation Bill with caution before its enactment. One key aspect, he said, is ensuring that this legal regulation is not exploited by law enforcement officials to abuse their powers.
“We hope the Asset Confiscation Law does not become a tool for abuse of power by law enforcement officials,” he stated during a General Hearing Meeting with several academics in Commission III’s room at the DPR in Jakarta on Monday, 6 April 2026.
Sahroni admitted to being concerned that the approval of the Asset Confiscation Bill, which has been stalled for decades, might be manipulated by law enforcement to act deceitfully. “We do not want the presumption of innocence principle to be exploited,” Sahroni remarked.
The NasDem Party politician described his concerns using the term “hanky-panky,” a slang English expression often meaning sneaky or underhanded behaviour.
He stated that the substance to be regulated in the Asset Confiscation Bill must relate to methods for prosecuting and deterring corruptors. Moreover, he noted that Indonesian society desires an end to the continuous occurrence of corruption cases.
The Asset Confiscation Bill began to be discussed by Commission III of the DPR on Thursday, 15 January 2026. This legal affairs commission invited the DPR’s Expert Body to report on the results of preparing the academic paper and draft of the Asset Confiscation Bill.
The DPR’s Expert Body itself has been preparing the draft of the Asset Confiscation Bill since November 2024. Based on the interim draft, it consists of 8 chapters and 62 articles.
The DPR’s Expert Body views the Asset Confiscation Bill as having urgency to be discussed and enacted into law immediately. In the sociological foundation contained in the academic paper, the DPR’s Expert Body notes that the rate of recovering state losses remains low.
On the other hand, there has been an increase in economic-motivated criminal acts. This is deemed to have damaged the national economic order.