Prabowo Throws Discourse To Forgive Corruptors, KPK Chair: Maybe For Certain Cases

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Setyo Budiyanto believes President Prabowo Subianto's statement to forgive corruptors as long as he returns state losses not for all cases. He believes the former Minister of Defense (Menhan) is firm in efforts to eradicate corruption.

"Maybe just for the treatment of certain cases. For example, if you fulfill the interests of many people, I'm sure you won't," Setyo said at a press conference at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Friday, December 20.

Even so, Setyo did not want to assume much about Prabowo's statement. "Maybe it will be detailed by his assistants, like what," he said.

"Because there will be an explanation from him, later the mechanism will be regulated. What the regulated mechanism will be, I'm sure it will be in more detail," continued the former Director of KPK Investigation.

Moreover, Prabowo said that he often reminded about efforts to prevent and eradicate corruption. One way to do this is by preventing waste.

"I believe that the President, who was so firm from the start he was sworn in at Senayan, then at several events he always conveyed about eradicating corruption, about tightening issues," said Setyo.

"(President Prabowo's message, ed) don't waste, don't do ceremonial activities. I'm sure he already has that concept but this is just the first statement. We'll just have to wait and see what the next one looks like when more details are responded to," he explained.

As previously reported, President Prabowo Subianto asked corruptors to return the money that had been stolen from the state. He said this step could make them perhaps forgiven.

Prabowo made this statement when he met Indonesian students at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, December 18.

"I've been in these weeks, these months, I'm trying to give myself the opportunity, give me a chance to repent. Hey corruptors, or those who have felt like stealing from the people, if you return those you stole, maybe we will forgive, but return them," Prabowo said as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Thursday.

"Later we will give it a chance. How to return it secretly so it doesn't get caught. Return it, but return it," he continued.