Gibran urges immediate passage of asset forfeiture bill as corruption losses soar

Jakarta, Thekabarnews.com—Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has told lawmakers to pass the long-awaited asset forfeiture bill (RUU Perampasan Aset) as soon as they can. He said that the law is crucial for getting back money that the state lost because of corruption.

On his official Instagram account on Friday, February 13, Gibran said that corruption is still costing Indonesia a lot of money. However, only a small amount of stolen property ever goes back to the state.

“Let us all work together to keep a watch on this process so that the state’s wealth and property can be fully restored and used for the good of the people without abusing power,” Gibran said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) says that corruption could cost the government Rp238 trillion between 2013 and 2022. According to the prosecution’s figures, corruption cases might have cost the nation Rp310 trillion in 2024 alone. But they could only get Rp1.6 trillion back.

This means that criminals and their friends can still get to more than 90 percent of stolen goods. In addition, they are never found again.

Gibran said that one of the biggest problems with growth in a country is corruption. Corruption hurts society in many ways. For example, it slows down economic growth, makes investments less safe, and makes public services worse. 

“We need to remember that every rupiah in the national and regional budgets comes from taxes that people pay. The people can only do good with that money,” Gibran said.

The vice president said that corruption is a problem in many other countries, not just Indonesia. He did say that the most important thing for a country’s success is how it deals with corruption.

Corruption schemes are now more organized, use technology more, and cross borders more often. With new digital tools and financial systems, it is easier for criminals to hide, move, and clean up money they got illegally. This makes it harder to find the money and get it back.

The asset forfeiture bill would strengthen Indonesia’s legal framework by allowing the government to seize assets linked to corruption more effectively. Even when the crimes are difficult to understand, it would help.

Gibran urged lawmakers to speed up the passage of the bill. That way, the government could recover stolen public funds and use them to support national development and improve public welfare.