Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, says that the government is considering to provide the opportunity for corruptors to secure pardon through a peace fine mechanism, a follow-up to previous President Prabowo Subianto’s statement that the government could grant pardon to corruptors.
The authority to impose a settlement fine is currently in the hands of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), due to a provision in the new Attorney General’s Law (UU), which opens up the possibility of this issue.
“Even without going through the President, it is possible to grant pardon to corruptors because the new Law on Prosecutors’ Office provides space for the Attorney General to make peace settlement efforts in such cases,” Supratman said as quoted by Antara, on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
A peace fine is the termination of a case outside the court by paying a fine approved by the Attorney General. Peace fines can be used to handle criminal acts that cause state losses.
Meanwhile, this kind of implementation still requires derivative regulations from the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, the Government and the House of Representatives (DPR) have agreed.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto will remain very selective and try to give maximum punishment to those who cause state losses.
In handling it, the government pays attention to the aspect of asset recovery, and not just imposing punishment.
“The most important thing for the government and the people of Indonesia is how asset recovery can work,” Supratman, who is also former Chairman of the DPR Legislation Body (Baleg), said.
Furthermore, he reiterated that granting pardon to perpetrators of criminal acts is the president’s constitutional right granted by the 1945 Constitution.