Yusril Responds to Public Pressure on Asset Forfeiture Bill

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the resolution of the Asset Forfeiture Bill together with the House of Representatives in 2026. Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the government is ready to discuss the bill as soon as the DPR completes its drafting as a legislative initiative.

“If asked whether the government is ready, yes, it is ready. The government has been ready for some time, and the President has already instructed the relevant ministers to promptly resolve this Asset Forfeiture Bill,” Yusril said when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said the government is closely following public sentiment, including plans for a demonstration in Jakarta on Thursday to call for the acceleration of deliberations on the Asset Forfeiture Bill. The bill is currently still at the discussion stage as a DPR initiative. Once the DPR finalises its draft and submits it to the government, the President will immediately assign the relevant ministers to conduct joint deliberations.

Yusril stressed that the government and the DPR share the same commitment to complete deliberations on the bill by the end of December 2026 at the latest. He also responded to public calls for the death penalty for corruption convicts, explaining that such provisions are essentially already regulated in the Corruption Eradication Law and the National Criminal Code.

However, he emphasised that the authority to impose the death penalty rests entirely with the judiciary. “Prosecutors can seek the death penalty based on the severity of the defendant’s wrongdoing, but the decision lies with the panel of judges. The government fully respects court rulings,” he said.

Previously, the Pati United Community Alliance said the rally in front of the DPR building in Jakarta on Thursday would be peaceful and focused on two demands related to corruption eradication. The alliance’s coordinator said the two demands were the immediate passage of the Asset Forfeiture Bill and the application of the death penalty for corruptors.

“We have no intention of causing trouble in Jakarta. We support the movement of our colleagues in the greater Jakarta area who will hold the 27 August action,” he said.

Criminal law academics have also urged the DPR and the government to establish clear norms regarding the Asset Forfeiture Bill to avoid ambiguity. They noted that asset forfeiture must be preceded by a criminal investigation that has reached a dead end or cannot proceed to court. One academic cited the difficulty of proving financial administration for ordinary people or the elderly who have run businesses for decades without detailed records. Another suggested using the term “return” to better reflect the essence of the legal mechanism without obscuring existing authority.