Top Indonesia anti-corruption prosecutor resigns amid corruption allegations News
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Top Indonesia anti-corruption prosecutor resigns amid corruption allegations

Indonesia’s top anti-corruption prosecutor, Febrie Adriansyah, resigned Saturday after a police raid earlier this week uncovered a safe containing USD$29.6 million in gold bars and foreign currency .

Police identified Adriansyah alongside a “private sector figure” identified by the initials DR as suspects in a corruption and money laundering scandal known as the Sumatra Blackout Probe. Adriansyah is alleged to have participated in corruption related to the procurement of coal supply for steam power plants between 2018 and 2026. Officials allege that the corruption is suspected to have triggered power outages or blackouts causing up to Rp 5 trillion (USD$275 million) in damages. DR is widely believed to refer to Don Ritto, a lawyer and owner of a private law firm. Don Ritto has been also been detained by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police.

The Office of the Attorney General of Indonesia released a statement on the resignation Saturday:

The Attorney General has accepted the resignation of Mr. Febrie Adriansyah from his position as Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes. This decision is a form of commitment to maintain the integrity, objectivity, and neutrality of the law enforcement process in line with the legal process being carried out by the investigators of the National Police of the Republic of Indonesia.

Adriansyah is accused of violating Article 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering Law and Article 607 para 1(a) and 1(b) of the New Criminal Code. Article 3 punishes a person who handles assets known or reasonably suspected to be the proceeds from a criminal act. Article 4 punishes the concealment of assets known or reasonably suspected to be the proceeds of a criminal act.  Article 607 of the New Criminal Code which penalize the same activities as articles 3 and 4 of the Money Laundering Act. The maximum sentence is 15 years imprisonment for each of the offences.

Indonesian lawmakers have called for the death penalty to be applied to Adrainyash given how many people have been impacted by the alleged corruption. Despite death sentences continuing to be given in Indonesia, a death sentence has not been executed since 2016 when four were executed in relation to drug crimes.

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