Asset Confiscation Bill to be Passed into Law by December 2026: House

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) ensures the Asset Confiscation Bill could be passed into law no later than December 2026. They expressed their confidence after public pressure to pass the bill.

Chairman of the House's Commission III, Habiburokhman, said December 2026 is not merely a political target. He claimed it has been calculated based on the planned stages of discussion that will be carried out by Commission III – dealing with law, human rights, and security – until a decision is made in a plenary session.

"This is no longer a target, but we can be certain that the Asset Confiscation Law will be ratified at the plenary session in December 2026 at the latest," he said in a plenary meeting at the Indonesian Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

According to him, the bill ratification is a crucial part of building an integrated criminal justice system. The DPR had previously completed deliberations on Act Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code and Act Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code.

"Next, we will immediately ratify the Asset Confiscation Law. This will create what is known as an integrated criminal justice system , " he said, as quoted from dpr.go.id.

Habiburokhman explained that drafting the bill took a "relatively long time" because the substance being discussed represents a new concept in the Indonesian legal system. Unlike the Criminal Procedure Code and related police regulations, Indonesia currently lacks a specific law that comprehensively regulates ways to confiscate an asset.

"Because the Act on Asset Confiscation addresses a completely new concept. We have no previous laws on asset confiscation," he explained.

During the drafting process, Habiburokhman continued, the House claimed it also encouraged public participation. He said Commission III invited approximately 50 speakers to provide input, as well as all 46 members of the commission while in their respective constituencies.

Furthermore, Habiburokhman said the bill is needed to strengthen efforts to recover state losses arising from criminal acts, noting that the current mechanism still faces various limitations. Therefore, the bill aims to clarify the scope of assets that can be confiscated, address cases that encounter obstacles, strengthen confiscation procedures, and build more optimal governance.

"Commission III is committed to continuing to work quickly and precisely in an effort to present laws that are effective, just, and beneficial, especially in responding to public needs in a responsive manner," he said.

A presidential letter to start the bill discussion was sent by former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in 2023. However, the bill is not intensively discussed until the new House period was inaugurated in October 2024.

Since the letter, some elements of the Indonesian public has pushed the House to pass the bill into law. Recently, the United Pati People's Alliance (AMPB) of Pati Regency, Central Java, held a demonstration in Jakarta on the bill, and has successfully met the House leaders.