Indonesia’s Rp300 Trillion Alleged State Loss: A Heavy Burden for Prosecutors to Prove, Law Expert Says
JAKARTA – Professor Romli Atmasasmita, a legal expert, has argued that the alleged state loss of Rp300 trillion in a corruption case involving tin ore trading is a heavy burden for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to prove. The reason being, the AGO must substantiate the announced figure in public.
The AGO has named five corporations as suspects in the case of alleged corruption in the trading of tin ore in the mining concession area of PT Timah. The corporations are PT Refined Bangka Tin (RBT), PT Stanindo Inti Perkasa (SIP), PT Sariwiguna Bina Sentosa (SBS), Tinindo Inter Nusa (TIN), and CV Venus Inti Perkasa (VIP).
Professor Romli believes the AGO’s move to name these five corporations as suspects is a step towards recovering the unrecouped financial losses to the state from previous convictions. "The AGO has already announced the Rp300 trillion loss to the public, even the President has responded. So, they must show results, even though the figure seems difficult to prove," said Romli.
According to Professor Romli, the fines imposed on corporations should be determined by judges based on the Supreme Court Regulation (Perma) Number 1 Year 2020. However, the fines imposed on the directors of these corporations so far have not yet reached this astronomical figure.
"There are bases for judges to make assessments about financial losses to the state according to Perma 1/2020. But it’s the judges who have the final say," Romli explained.
Meanwhile, Professor Sudarsono Soedomo of IPB University’s Faculty of Forestry and Environment, argues that the claim of Rp300 trillion in state losses is based on invalid data, suggesting that the AGO may have been misled. He believes the figure more closely resembles a potential loss rather than an actual one.
"The public perception is that this is a concrete amount of money when, in fact, it’s more like a potential loss. But now, the AGO is starting to question this figure due to criticism from various parties, including the Supreme Court," Sudarsono explained.
The AGO lacks the authority to evaluate data related to environmental losses, a significant component in this case. "The AGO doesn’t have the authority or capacity to do this. Measuring environmental losses is still a challenged and debated topic among experts," Sudarsono stated.
In the world of big numbers and complex legal proceedings, the road to recovery for Indonesia’s alleged Rp300 trillion loss appears long and arduous. As the case unfolds, all eyes remain on the AGO to prove these staggering claims.
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