Not Death Penalty, KPK Chairman Firli Called Juliari And Edhy Prabowo Potentially Punished To Life

KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri (Photo: KPK Public Relations)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Firli Bahuri said that two former ministers in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet, namely Juliari Peter Batubara and Edhy Prabowo, have the potential to be sentenced to life for their actions.

"Currently, the article being applied is related to the alleged bribery, which carries a maximum sentence as stipulated in the Corruption Act, which is life imprisonment", Firli said in a written statement quoted on Thursday, March 4.

He said the death penalty stipulated in Article 2 paragraph 2 of the Corruption Crime Law (Tipikor) can indeed be applied to suspects who have committed corruption in certain conditions, such as natural disasters. However, its implementation is not that easy because the KPK needs to prove that there are state losses caused by the actions of Juliari and Edhy Prabowo.

"However, it is not only a problem because of the proven elements of the provisions of certain circumstances to demand the death penalty, but of course all elements of Article 2 paragraph (1) must also be fulfilled", he said.

Furthermore, Firli said that the KPK is currently focused on investigating the alleged bribery committed by the two former ministers and there has been no use of other articles in the investigation of the two investigations.

The reason for the use of this bribery article was because both of them were caught in a hand-arrest operation (OTT). Even so, Firli did not deny that in the future there could be a case development against both of them at a later date.

"Development is very possible, such as the application of Article 2 or 3 of the Corruption Act and even the application of other laws such as the Crime of Money Laundering (TPPU)", he explained.

Firli also asked the public to be patient and give the KPK time to investigate the two cases. The KPK guarantees that it will reveal the continued development of the case to the public.

"We ensure that we always inform the public about the progress regarding the settlement of the two KPK arrests", he said.

The former Minister of Marine 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-catching operation (OTT) after returning from a visit to the United States.

In the case of the export bribery of lobster 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, former Social Minister Juliari Peter Batubara was named a suspect after the KPK arrested his men 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.

The anti-corruption 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 giver of the bribe.