Unsoed Expert: Attorney General's Office Must Strengthen Law Enforcement Synergy
Legal expert from Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) Purwokerto, Prof Hibnu Nugroho, has assessed that the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office needs to strengthen law enforcement synergy to reinforce the criminal justice system while maintaining public trust in state institutions.
Speaking on the occasion of the 66th Adhyaksa Bhakti Day in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, on Wednesday, he considered the prosecutor’s office’s performance so far to be commendable for consistently supporting the government’s anti-corruption agenda. “I think the prosecutor’s office’s performance at the age of 66 deserves appreciation. This means the institution has been able to translate the President’s Astacita, particularly regarding the eradication of criminal acts of corruption,” he said.
According to him, this achievement is reflected in the institution’s success in uncovering various corruption cases while increasing the recovery of state losses through asset returns and fine payments to the state. He also assessed that the prosecutor’s office is active in handling alleged corruption cases directly related to public interests, including cases concerning the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, sugar and cooking oil trading systems, and other strategic sectors.
Nevertheless, he reminded that the prosecutorial institution also faces significant challenges from an internal perspective. “Apart from the existence of individuals who get entangled in legal issues, the prosecutor’s office is able to take immediate action and is trusted to investigate cases involving its own internal members. This is both a challenge and an extraordinary test,” he said.
He stated that the public and the President still hold high hopes that the prosecutor’s office will continue to uncover large-scale corruption cases to strengthen the state’s authority through firm and just law enforcement. Furthermore, the Professor of the Faculty of Law at Unsoed said the future challenge for the prosecutor’s office is not only to improve anti-corruption performance but also to strengthen synergy with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Indonesian National Police.
According to him, every law enforcement agency must exercise its respective authority within the corridor of the criminal justice system without creating inter-agency competition. “The challenge ahead is how the KPK, the police, and the prosecutor’s office can synergise and maintain balance in exercising their respective authorities within the criminal justice system. Do not compete with each other, but strengthen one another,” he said.
“If law enforcement is weak, the state will also be seen as weak. Therefore, the prosecutor’s office together with other law enforcement officials must be increasingly solid in synergy to make the country more respected,” he added. Besides strengthening synergy, he assessed that the prosecutor’s office needs to continue purging individuals within its internal environment proven to have committed legal violations. He considered this step important to maintain public trust in law enforcement institutions. “By continuing to clean up individuals within the institution, public trust in the state and law enforcement officials will grow stronger,” Hibnu concluded.