Returning Victim's Money, Police Are Not Serious In Handling The DWP Extortion Case

JAKARTA Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) assesses that the Police are not serious about handling extortion cases by unscrupulous members at the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) event if the extortion proceeds are returned to the victim.

"The plan to return Rp2.5 billion to the victims of the DWP audience shows that the National Police is not serious about bringing this case to the criminal realm. The handling only stops at the Police Code of Ethics Commission (KKEP)," said IPW Chairman, Sugeng Teguh Santoso, Monday 6 January.

Sugeng explained that the money confiscated from the extortion case was evidence of the proceeds of a crime, which should have been used for the legal process. "If the money is returned, then the evidence of a crime will be lost, making it difficult for investigators to criminally ensnare the perpetrators," he said.

According to Sugeng, the handling of evidence must go through a legal process to the court. The judge will later determine whether the evidence, including the money confiscated, put in the state treasury, returned to the victim, or destroyed.

"The police as investigators are not authorized to return evidence without a clear legal decision. If this is done, public trust in the Police will decline further," he said.

Sugeng also emphasized that this case involves a criminal act of extortion in office, which is categorized as a criminal act of corruption. "Cases like this cannot be resolved through restorative justice because it involves serious crimes," he added.

Previously, the Head of the Supervision and Professional Development Bureau of the National Police Propam Division, Brigadier General Agus Wijayanto, stated that the money from extortion in the 2024 DWP case would be returned to the victim.

"The confiscated Rp2.5 billion evidence will be returned to those who are entitled," said Agus at the TNCC Building at the National Police Headquarters, Thursday (2/1). Agus added that the refund would be carried out through a mechanism regulated by the Police Propam Division.

However, IPW criticized the move because it was considered to ignore the legal process and only resolve cases internally. Sugeng concluded by reminding that the handling of this case has become public attention, both nationally and internationally, so that the solution must be transparent and by law.