Jakarta (ANTARA) – Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin has indicated to the possibility of the death penalty being imposed on people convicted of corruption.
He conveyed this at a briefing with Attorney General Office leaders during a working visit to the Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office.
“The Attorney General is reviewing the possibility of the death penalty for corrupt officials,” head of the Attorney General’s Legal Information Center, Leonard Simanjuntak, said in a written statement received here on Thursday.
The death penalty for corruption is currently being considered by Burhanuddin, particularly for cases such as Asabri and Jiwasraya, he said. These two huge corruption cases have caused significant harm, both to the state as well as the public in general and soldiers, he added.
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“The Jiwasraya case concerns the rights of the people and the rights of employees in terms of social security, as well as the corruption case involving Asabri regarding the rights of all soldiers where there is great hope for retirement and for the future of their families in old age,” Simanjuntak said.
The corruption case involving PT Jiwasraya led to the state losing Rp16.8 trillion (almost US$1.2 billion), while the corruption case involving PT. Asabri led to the state losing Rp22.78 trillion (US$1.6 billion), he added.
He said that Burhanuddin was studying the possibility of imposing the death penalty as a means to provide a sense of justice. He also said that such means still take account of positive law, as well as human rights.
“Mr. Attorney General has conveyed the possibility of seeking efforts to make the looted proceeds of the defendants directly beneficial, and there is legal certainty/clarity both for the interests of the government and the community as victims of corruption crimes,” he added.
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