Hari Purwanto Says Prabowo’s ‘Rotten Fish Starts From the Head’ Principle Faces Corruption Test

In an SDR release, Febrie was described as having been named a suspect in an alleged corruption and money laundering case related to the handling of the ASABRI and Jiwasraya cases.

According to Hari, cases involving former senior law enforcement officials require particular attention because they are closely tied to the credibility of law enforcement institutions.

“When law enforcement officials who are supposed to fight corruption are instead caught up in corruption cases, this becomes a serious issue that cannot be treated as ordinary,” Hari said.

Hari acknowledged that enforcement actions by law enforcement agencies are an important part of combating corruption. However, he cautioned that the success of anti-corruption efforts should not be measured solely by the number of suspects arrested or the amount of money displayed at press conferences.

“The success of fighting corruption should not be measured only by how much money is displayed at press conferences. The public also has the right to know how those assets are managed and returned to the state,” he said.

According to him, transparency regarding evidence and seized assets is an important part of maintaining public trust.

“The measures of success should include the quality of evidence presented in a case, legal certainty, process transparency, and the state’s ability to recover losses caused by corruption,” Hari said.

He also warned that increased enforcement activity should not turn into competition among law enforcement agencies to demonstrate their performance before the public or the President.

“Law enforcement must not turn into merely a competition among institutions to demonstrate their performance in the public sphere,” he said.

Hari said legal proceedings must remain focused on strong evidence, legal certainty, transparency, and the recovery of state losses.

Calls for Acceleration of Asset Forfeiture Bill

In the context of asset recovery, SDR is also calling for the deliberation of the Asset Forfeiture Bill to be accelerated.

Hari said anti-corruption efforts should not stop at punishing perpetrators. The state must also have effective mechanisms to ensure that assets derived from criminal activity can be recovered.

“Corruption must not end simply with the perpetrator being sent to prison. The state must also ensure that money and assets obtained through crime can be returned,” he said.

He urged civil society to help oversee the deliberation of the legislation so that stronger state powers to recover assets continue to operate in accordance with legal principles and protections for public rights.