UII Expert Views No State Loss in Amsal Case

JAKARTA — A law expert from Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), Prof. Hanafi Amrani, views that there is no state loss in the Amsal Sitepu case. This is because the project is based on a contract between Amsal and the village government officials. “That is actually a civil contract. Regarding the issue of overpricing, that is relative,” stated Prof. Hanafi. Creative ideas, according to Prof. Hanafi, cannot be equated with other types of work values. “He works for one hour, cannot be equated with ordinary workers. This is a creative idea that cannot be equated,” he explained. Even if what Amsal did is considered wrong, in his opinion, the fault should lie with the Village Government. The reason is that if the Village Government did not agree, this work would not have proceeded. “The subject is Article 3 (of the Corruption Law), namely a person with authority who misuses the authority of their position. He (Amsal) does not hold any position,” clarified Prof. Hanafi. In cases like this, according to Prof. Hanafi, village government officials must be given explanations. “Secondly, for pricing issues, there is also no clear price. So if you want to negotiate, just negotiate, or compare with other vendors,” he stated.