Corruption Cases Increase During the Pandemic

Based on Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) monitoring, throughout 2021, 1,282 corruption criminal cases were brought to trial, involving a total of 1,404 defendants.

This figure represents the number of cases tried at all court levels, including those at the Judicial Review (Peninjauan Kembali or PK) level.

Despite the pandemic, the number of corruption cases brought to trial in 2021 increased significantly compared to previous years.

This increase in cases has been ongoing since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, as shown in the graph.

"Based on the data above, the judicial authority has proven successful in adapting by employing the concept of online trials. Therefore, the examination process did not experience any significant disruption," wrote ICW in its report released on Sunday (May 22, 2022).

(Also Read: Acquitted Corruption Defendants Surge in 2021)

Of the 1,404 corruption defendants last year, only 12 were charged with Money Laundering (Tindak Pidana Pencucian Uang or TPPU). The majority of the other defendants were charged with causing state financial losses or bribery.

According to ICW, this phenomenon indicates that law enforcement agencies have not yet utilized an asset recovery approach for corruption defendants.

"The approach to prosecuting corruption cases should no longer focus solely on imprisoning perpetrators, but also on asset recovery, including through the Money Laundering Act (UU TPPU)," explained ICW.

(Also Read: Corruption Restitution Only 2% of State Losses)