This Legal Expert Agrees Edhy Prabowo And Juliari Batubara Sentenced To Rotting In Prison If Convicted

Former Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Batubara (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Criminal law expert from Trisakti University, Abdul Fickar Hadjar agrees that former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo and former Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Peter Batubara will be sentenced to life imprisonment without being granted remission rights or reduced sentences.

Fickar said Article 2 of the Corruption Act Number 31 of 1999 includes the death penalty for criminals, especially at certain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, what needs to be remembered in the 1945 Constitution Article 28i regulates the right to life.

"I strongly agree with the corruptors Edhy Prabowo and Juliari Batubara being sentenced to life imprisonment," said Fickar in a written statement to reporters, Wednesday, February 17.

He said that the corruption practices carried out by two former Jokowi aides were heinous acts because they were carried out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, both of them are the highest ranking officials, but instead they practice corruption.

"They do not know themselves, because already as the highest ranking official, they even abuse their position during the disaster and those who are corrupted are the people who share their share. This is the most heinous corruption," he said.

Former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo is a suspect in receiving bribes related to the export of lobster fries or seeds. The suspect's determination was carried out after he was caught in a hand arrest operation (OTT) after returning from a visit to the United States.

In the case of the export bribery of shrimp fry or lobster seeds, Edhy Prabowo was named a suspect in receiving bribes along with five other people, namely: Stafsus Minister of KKP Safri (SAF) and Andreau Pribadi Misanta (APM); Management of PT Aero Citra Kargo (PT ACK) Siswadi (SWD); The staff of the wife of the Minister of KKP, Ainul Faqih, and Amiril Mukminin (AM).

Meanwhile, the giver of the bribe was the Director of PT Dua Putra Perkasa Pratama (PT DPPP) Suharjito (SJT).

Edhy was named a suspect because he was suspected of accepting bribes from companies that had been issued a lobster seed export license using a forwarder company and were kept in one account up to Rp9.8 billion.

Meanwhile, Juliari was named a suspect after the KPK arrested his subordinates in a silent operation. He was designated as a recipient of bribes related to the provision of COVID-19 social assistance (bansos) in the Jabodetabek area.

Not only that, the anti-graft commission also named four other suspects, namely the Commitment Making Officer at the Ministry of Social Affairs (PPK) MJS and AW as the recipient of the bribe and AIM and HS as the bribe giver.