Josi: How much longer will it take Mr...? (clipboard reads "Asset Forfiture Bill")

Posi: We've been waiting a long time...

Lawmaker: Just wait a moment, we're going to discuss it.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) says the government is endlessly promising to impoverish corruptors through the Draft Law on Asset Forfeiture (RUU Perampasan Aset), but this is never followed up by any concrete steps to actually pass the law.

This was conveyed by ICW in response to a statement by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka that the Asset Forfeiture Bill is urgently needed to eradicate corruption.

"The government is always paying lip service declaring it will impoverish corruptors through the Asset Forfeiture Bill, but at the same time [and] to this day there has been no concrete follow-up", said ICW Legal and Investigation Division Head Wana Alamsyah on February 13.

The bill has been in circulation since it was first proposed over a decade ago in 2012, but has repeatedly stalled at the House of Representatives – which is constantly rated as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country. And although it made its way onto the 2025-2029 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), the bill was not included in the list of bills prioritised to be passed by the end of this year. 

Calls for the bill's enactment were also one of the key demands coming out of the August 2025 protests.

Earlier, Gibran stated that the Asset Forfeiture Bill is now very urgent and important so the state can confiscate assets derived from crimes, including corruption.

"As long as assets can be proven to originate directly or indirectly from a crime such as corruption, narcotics, illegal mining, illegal fishing, illegal logging, gambling or TPPO [human trafficking], the state has the authority to confiscate the assets to return it to the state, becoming the people's property that be used in the interests of the people", Gibran said in a video statement on Friday.

"This is the essence of the Asset Forfeiture Bill that is currently very important and urgent", he concluded.

[Based on an Indoleft translation of a Kompas.com article titled Graft watchdog says government just paying lip service to Asset Forfeiture Bill.]