Prabowo Asks Corruptors To Be Imprisoned For 50 Years, Supreme Court Alludes To The Death Penalty As Possible

Spokesperson for the Supreme Court, Yanto (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Supreme Court (MA) responded to President Prabowo Subianto's request regarding the 50-year prison sentence for corruptors. The spokesman for the Supreme Court, Yanto, explained that Indonesia's positive law has regulated penalties for corruptors, with the death penalty being the toughest sentence under certain conditions.

Yanto refers to Article 2 paragraph (2) of Law Number 31 of 1999 which has been amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption.

In this article, corruptors can be sentenced to prison between 4 and 20 years or life, and under certain circumstances, they can be sentenced to death.

"The sentence applied can range from 4 years, 20 years, or life, and under certain conditions, such as corruption during natural disasters, monetary crises, or wars, could be subject to the death penalty," said Yanto at the MA Building, Jakarta, Thursday, January 2.

Even though the law has regulated this, Yanto added that until now, no corruptors have been sentenced to 50 years in prison, even the death penalty has never been applied.

On the same occasion, Yanto clarified that President Prabowo's statement regarding the 50-year sentence for corruptors was not a form of intervention from the executive to the judiciary.

According to him, Prabowo's statement is more an affirmation that corruptors should be punished severely, especially if they harm the state in large numbers.

"I happened to watch television when he made this statement. If the corruption is big and clearly proven, then it should be sentenced to 50 years. That's not an intervention, just an affirmation," said Yanto.

Previously, President Prabowo Subianto wanted severe punishment for perpetrators of corruption which cost the state up to trillions of rupiah, and suggested that they be imprisoned for up to 50 years.

Prabowo conveyed this in a direction at the National Development Planning Deliberation (Musrenbangnas) for the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) at the Bappenas Building, Jakarta, on Monday 30 December 2024.

"People understand. People on the side of the road understand the robbery of trillions, eh hundreds of trillions, the verdict is many years. Maybe later in prison use air conditioning, have a refrigerator, use a TV. Please the Minister of Corrections and the Attorney General, if there is an appeal, increase the appeal. The verdict is up to 50 years in prison," said Prabowo.