JAKARTA - Professor of Law and Human Rights at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Heru Susetyo, and the Legal Academic of Bina Nusantara University (Binus), Muhammad Reza Zaki, urged law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate the alleged corruption in the procurement of coal 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, business networks, corporations suspected of being involved, to alleged money laundering crimes (TPPU).
Prof. Heru Susetyo said the alleged corruption in the coal sector was not merely a matter of state financial losses, but also related to the protection of human rights because it concerned the management of natural resources that had a direct impact on people's lives.
"Corruption in the natural resources sector has a much wider impact than ordinary corruption crimes. When coal governance is controlled by corrupt practices, then those who are harmed are not only the state's finances, but also the community who lose their rights to a good environment, health, livelihoods, and access to equitable development. Therefore, the approach to law enforcement must consider the human rights dimension," said Heru in a public discussion in Jakarta, Saturday, July 11.
According to Heru, the investigation must be developed to touch all parties suspected of being involved based on evidence, including corporations and other public officials, while still adhering to the principle of equality before the law.
"There must be no different treatment in law enforcement. If the involvement of other parties is found based on valid evidence, all of them must be processed in accordance with legal provisions without exception," he said.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Reza Zaki assessed that corruption allegations in the coal sector were almost impossible to be carried out individually because they generally involved complex business networks, governance, and inter-business relationships.
"Corruption practices in the coal sector generally involve various modes, ranging from licensing arrangements, procurement, commodity distribution, to alleged abuse of authority that provides benefits to certain parties. Therefore, investigations must be directed to dismantle the entire network, not just the field actors," said Reza.
According to him, law enforcement officers also need to develop investigations using the follow the money and follow the asset approaches to uncover the alleged TPPU that may accompany the case.
"Law enforcement must be able to answer public questions about who benefits economically from the practice, how the money flows, and whether there is involvement of corporations or other parties who enjoy the results of criminal acts. All of them must be proven through a professional and evidence-based investigation process," he said.
Reza added that the comprehensive disclosure of the case was not only aimed at punishing the perpetrators, but also recovering state losses and improving the governance of the mining sector so that it does not return to being a space for corrupt practices.
Both academics agreed that the success of handling the alleged corruption case that dragged the former Jampidsus was not enough to be measured from the determination of one or two suspects. The law enforcement apparatus is considered to be able to uncover intellectual actors, dismantle the network involved, trace the flow of funds, uncover alleged money laundering crimes, and process all parties who are proven to have benefited from corrupt practices in accordance with applicable laws.
Previously, the Head of the Corruption Crime Eradication Corps (Kortastipidkor) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police, Inspector General of Police Totok Suharyanto, stated that investigators had named FA (Febrie Adriansyah) as a suspect in the alleged corruption and money laundering (TPPU) cases.
In addition to the FA, investigators also named a private party with the initials DR as a suspect after examining 15 witnesses, asking for the information of two experts, holding a case, and conducting searches at a number of locations.
During a search of a house in the Sentul area, Bogor Regency, investigators seized evidence in the form of 74 kilograms of gold bars, cash and foreign exchange worth around Rp. 476 billion, as well as a number of documents and electronic devices suspected to be related to the case.
The investigation is part of a joint investigation (joint investigation) of the National Police and the Metro Jaya Police against alleged corruption in coal management for PLTU, alleged corruption of PT Asabri and PT Jiwasraya for the period 2020-2025, and alleged money laundering in the settlement of PT CBS's debt to PT KNI.
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