JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has called on lawmakers to speed up the passage of Indonesia’s Asset Forfeiture Bill. He said that prison time alone will not stop corruption. In addition, he stated the country also needs to recover illicitly acquired assets.

He reiterated his stance by re-sharing a video on his official Instagram account Saturday, July 25. In February, he made the comments in the video as the government sought to step up asset recovery.

“If we are truly serious about eradicating corruption, corruptors must be impoverished. The state must also take back all the property they stole,” Gibran said.

Corruption impedes economic growth, degrades public services, and erodes investor confidence, the vice president said.

He said national and regional tax money should benefit the public, not the offenders or their associates.

“Between 2013 and 2022, corruption cases caused a potential loss to the state estimated at Rp238 trillion,” Gibran said, citing data from the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).

He also quoted data from the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) that big corruption cases handled in 2024 had potential losses of around Rp310 trillion. Based on the numbers he presented, the authorities seized some Rp1.6 trillion.

More than 90% of assets linked to corruption remained unrecovered or continued to benefit perpetrators and their relatives, the figures showed, according to Gibran.

Authorities may have calculated the potential losses and recovered assets from different cases, accounting methods and stages of legal proceedings. Analysts therefore cannot directly compare them to calculate a national recovery ratio.

The legislation would allow the state to confiscate property found to be the product, direct or indirect, of criminal activity.

The bill covers crimes beyond corruption. It also extends to drug trafficking, illegal mining, illegal fishing, illegal logging, online gambling, and human trafficking.

The bill also proposes a non-conviction-based forfeiture mechanism. Under that approach, courts could order the recovery of illicit assets in certain circumstances. This can happen even when authorities cannot obtain a criminal conviction. For example, when a suspect dies, flees abroad or cannot face prosecution.

These mechanisms are in line with Article 54 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which encourages countries to consider confiscation without a criminal conviction. This applies when death, flight or absence prevents authorities from prosecuting an offender. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said Indonesia ratified the convention under Law No. 7/2006.

The Asset Forfeiture Bill remains sixth in Indonesia’s 2026 National Priority Legislative Program. The House of Representatives has dismissed reports that lawmakers dropped or rejected it.

Commission III started formal drafting of the academic paper and bill in January 2026. It has since held hearings with legal experts, academics, civil society organizations, and professional groups.

The DPR Legislative Documentation Center said the House intends to finish the bill in 2026. In addition, it may continue to debate the bill during recess.

Gibran acknowledged the potential for authorities to abuse the law or undermine the presumption of innocence. He called for open debate, strict judicial oversight, and safeguards for legitimate third-party property.

Legal experts advising the House have also urged lawmakers to set clear standards of proof. Furthermore, they have urged them to keep the burden on the state and create independent oversight before giving authorities more powers of confiscation.