Responding to the deployment of dozens of soldiers to guard the home of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) amid a police investigation into a corruption case and the arrival of a group of individuals in military uniforms at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said:
"The military's involvement in law enforcement, as seen during the search of the residence of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Febrie Adriansyah, raises serious concerns about the erosion of civilian supremacy, the rule of law and human rights.
This is further compounded by the presence of a group of individuals wearing camouflage uniforms and armed with rifles who arrived at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters early Thursday morning. This incident cannot simply be seen as friction between law enforcement and security forces, but demonstrates how the military can be used as a tool to protect officials suspected of involvement in corruption cases, as well as to intimidate other law enforcement officials. This undermines the integrity and credibility of all institutions, including the police, the prosecutor's office, and especially the military.
The presence of dozens of soldiers at Adriansyah's home, who is suspected of being involved in corruption case involving coal management, demonstrates the military's usurpation of a role that should be the domain of civilian law enforcement. This is a violation the principle of the separation of roles of the military in defence and the police and prosecutor's office in law enforcement.
The coal corruption case has had a direct detrimental impact on people. The electricity crisis in various regions, suspected to be rooted in this corruption cases, is a violation of the community's right to an adequate standard of living. This right is expressly guaranteed under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which Indonesia ratified through Law Number 11/2005. Given the magnitude of the public losses, law enforcement in this case must be transparent, objective and free from obstruction and interference.
Therefore, the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters' excuse for using Presidential Regulation Number 66/2025 on the protection of prosecutors as the basis for providing security is questionable. This indicates a threat of remilitarisation in the realm of civilian law enforcement. The military's presence during a police investigation constitutes intimidation and inappropriate intervention. The military has no jurisdiction to intervene, especially if such actions obstruct the civilian justice process.
The normative denials by the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the National Police (Polri) and the TNI are insufficient to explain this situation. The public has the right to information regarding military deployment in this context. The state must ensure that military institutions do not overstep their bounds. Likewise, this coal corruption case must be thoroughly investigated, and any perpetrators must be prosecuted criminally without any shadow of military intervention.
Amidst the investigation into the coal corruption case that has led to a power outage crisis in various regions, we also reiterate our call for the government to review its dependence on coal-based energy sources and seriously consider sustainable energy sources."
Background
Media reports revealed that dozens of soldiers were seen guarding the home of Febrie Adriansyah in South Jakarta on Wednesday evening, July 8. This tight security presence coincided with a search of the Jampidsus' home after the National Police Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortastipidkor) and the Jakarta Metropolitan Police raided a cafe in South Jakarta to investigate alleged corruption in coal management, which disrupted coal supplies and resulted in power outages in several regions across Indonesia.
Police also searched a luxury home in the Sentul area of Bogor at midnight on Wednesday, allegedly belonging Adriansyah.
Video reports from the media also showed several individuals in camouflage uniforms and carrying rifles arriving in several private cars at the headquarters of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Special Crimes Detectives Directorate early Thursday morning (July 9). They reportedly arrived to retrieve a civilian detainee or witness being intensively questioned in a corruption case.
The Attorney General's Office denied that the presence of TNI personnel at the Jampidsus residence was due to a police search attempt. Similar denials were also made by the National Police Headquarters and the Jakarta Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, the TNI Headquarters stated that the military guard at the Jampidsus residence was at the AGO's request, citing Presidential Regulation Number 66/2025. The TNI Headquarters also denied that armed personnel arrived at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Headquarters early Thursday morning.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pelibatan tentara dalam kasus Jampidsus cederai integritas penegak hukum".]
