Jakarta. House of Representatives Commission III has proposed 13 types of criminal offenses to fall under the scope of the long-delayed Asset Forfeiture Bill, following research, analysis and comparisons with asset forfeiture systems in other countries.

Commission III Chairman Habiburokhman said the proposed scope was formulated after the commission reviewed input from legal experts, particularly on the need to limit offenses subject to non-conviction-based asset forfeiture.

“Some experts have emphasized the need to limit the types of criminal offenses that fall within the scope of the asset forfeiture mechanism without a criminal conviction,” Habiburokhman said on Aug. 29.

The Asset Forfeiture Bill is intended to strengthen the state’s ability to recover assets derived from criminal offenses. One of the key issues under discussion is non-conviction-based forfeiture, which would allow authorities to forfeit assets under certain conditions without waiting for a criminal conviction.

13 Types of Criminal Offenses

The 13 offenses proposed by Commission III are:

1. Corruption

2. Drug and psychotropic offenses

3. Terrorism

4. Human smuggling

5. Illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition and hazardous materials

6. Forestry-related offenses

7. Environmental offenses

8. Tax-related offenses

9. Banking-related offenses

10. Insurance-related offenses

11. Mining-related offenses

12. Maritime and fisheries-related offenses

13. Human trafficking

Habiburokhman said legal experts believe offenses covered by the asset forfeiture mechanism should involve an economic motive, cause losses to the state or the general public, or be sufficiently serious to have a significant economic impact.

Several countries similarly limit non-conviction-based asset forfeiture to specific or serious criminal offenses. New Zealand, for example, applies the mechanism to significant criminal offenses punishable by more than five years in prison and involving assets worth more than NZ$30,000.

Singapore, Italy, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Paraguay, Uruguay, the Philippines, Switzerland and the Netherlands also use similar mechanisms for offenses including drug trafficking, corruption, organized crime and other serious crimes.

The Asset Forfeiture Bill is not a new legislative priority. The drafting process has been underway for more than a decade, with the first draft prepared in 2012 following an initial proposal in 2009. The bill has been included on the national legislative agenda several times but has yet to be finalized.

The delay became a focus of demonstrations in Jakarta on Aug. 27, when community groups and students urged the House to immediately pass the bill.

Under pressure from protesters, House leaders announced a target of completing the bill by Dec. 15, 2026, at the latest.

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