JAKARTA - A number of academics, researchers, and legal experts urge law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate the alleged coal corruption for the Steam Power Plant (PLTU) which dragged former Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus), Febrie Adriansyah.
They emphasized that the investigation should not stop at the determination of suspects, but should be able to uncover intellectual actors, the entire network involved, beneficiaries, to alleged money laundering crimes (TPPU).
Public Policy and Government Governance Researcher, Gian Kasogi, assessed that the series of developments in the case that took place in a relatively short time must be followed by openness of information so as not to create speculation among the public.
"The public witnessed a press conference to clarify, then a resignation letter appeared, followed by the determination of suspects, to the transfer of case files within a relatively short period of time. The question is to what extent the construction of the case, what is the alleged form of the criminal act, how the alleged money laundering crime occurred, how the asset tracing was carried out, and who are the parties suspected of being involved," said Gian in a public discussion in Jakarta, Saturday, July 11.
According to Gian, transparency is an important condition to maintain public confidence in the law enforcement process.
"The Attorney General's Office and law enforcement agencies must open the development of the handling of cases proportionally to the public. If there are other parties, whether state officials, business actors or other actors suspected of being involved based on valid evidence, then all of them must be processed in accordance with the law without discrimination," he said.
He added that corruption cases in strategic commodity sectors such as coal generally involve complex networks so that investigators need to uncover the entire chain of criminal events, including relationships between perpetrators, the flow of funds, and parties suspected of enjoying the fruits of crime.
In line with this, Criminal Law and Criminology Expert Ahmad Sofyan assessed that investigations should be developed using the follow the money and follow the assetagar approaches so that allegations of money laundering can be revealed in full.
"In corruption cases and money laundering cases, the evidence must be comprehensive, including following the flow of funds (follow the money), tracing assets (follow the asset), and uncovering all parties suspected of benefiting from the crime in accordance with the applicable legal mechanisms," he said.
Meanwhile, Binus University Law Academician (Binus), Muhammad Reza Zaki, said handling this case will be an important measure for the state's commitment to building the integrity of law enforcement agencies.
"The success of handling this case is not only measured by the determination of suspects, but also by the ability of law enforcement officers to uncover the entire series of criminal events in full, ensuring accountability for the legal process, and restoring public confidence in law enforcement institutions," said Reza.
Senior Researcher of the Forum of Parliament Watchers Society (Formappi), Lucius Karus, assessed that the case that dragged the former Jampidsus should be a momentum for comprehensive reform in the Attorney General's Office.
"The determination of suspects against the former Jampidsus must be used as a momentum for reflection and reform of the prosecutor's institution in law enforcement. So far, the public's critical record of the Prosecutor's Office has been very much, so this momentum must be used to improve institutional governance and strengthen the integrity of law enforcement officials," said Lucius.
According to him, the alleged corruption involving high-ranking law enforcement officials shows that the problem of institutional integrity is still a serious challenge.
"Corruption has once again shown itself to be the main disease that has not been successfully eradicated. When the allegations touch high-ranking law enforcement officials, what is at stake is not only the legal process, but also public confidence in the criminal justice system," he said.
Lucius also reminded that the improvement of regulations must really be directed to strengthening institutional integrity, not just administrative changes.
"Revision of regulations should result in strengthening institutional integrity, not just administrative changes. Evaluation of the implementation of the Attorney General's Law and the TNI Law needs to be carried out so that legal reforms really answer the substantive issues faced by law enforcement," he said.
On the same occasion, the Academic of Law at the University of Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya, Edi Hasibuan, supported law enforcement officials to investigate the case professionally, independently, and transparently until all parties responsible can be held accountable.
"We encourage investigators to uncover this case professionally, objectively, and transparently. The public has the right to receive explanations regarding the construction of the case, the form of alleged criminal acts, and the extent of the involvement of the parties based on the evidence possessed by the investigators," said Edi.
Professor of Law and Human Rights at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Heru Susetyo, added that cases involving law enforcement officers should be a momentum to strengthen the principles of the rule of law, accountability, and equality before the law.
"The process of law enforcement must run independently, transparently, and accountable. There should be no special treatment for anyone. At the same time, the presumption of innocence must still be respected until there is a court decision with the force of law," said Heru.
The academics agreed that the disclosure of the case should not stop at certain individuals, but should be able to uncover the entire network, intellectual actors, beneficiaries, as well as alleged money laundering crimes associated with the case. They assessed that the success of uncovering the entire crime chain would be a benchmark for the seriousness of the state in eradicating corruption without selectivity, as well as restoring public confidence in law enforcement agencies.
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