Hello, friend Summarized! This time we will discuss a question that may often cross our minds, namely whether the corrupted money will be returned? Of course, we all want people’s money that has been misused by irresponsible elements to return to the state treasury and be used for public purposes. However, is it easy to do? How is the process? And what are the challenges? Come on, see the full review below!
What is Corruption?
Before we discuss further about returning money resulting from corruption, it’s good for us to know what corruption is. According to Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, corruption is an unlawful act committed by a person or entity, both in the private and public sectors, which harms state finances or the country’s economy.
Corruption can take the form of abuse of authority, abuse of office, abuse of authority, bribery, gratuities, collusion, nepotism, embezzlement, extortion, tax evasion, money laundering, and so on. Corruption can be done individually or in groups, either directly or indirectly.
How to return money resulting from corruption?
Money from corruption is money obtained from criminal acts of corruption. This money must be returned to the state as a form of accountability and recovery of state losses. There are several ways you can do to return the money resulting from corruption, namely:
- Confiscation and confiscation . This is the most common method used by law enforcement officials to confiscate and seize assets or evidence suspected of originating from criminal acts of corruption. Confiscation and confiscation can be carried out from the time of investigation to the implementation of a court decision. Confiscation and confiscation can be temporary or permanent, depending on the court ruling.
- Compensation . This is a method used by defendants or convicts of corruption to compensate for state losses incurred as a result of their actions. Compensation can be in the form of cash, goods, securities, or other assets equivalent to the state’s losses. Compensation can be done voluntarily or forcedly, depending on the agreement between the defendant or convict and the public prosecutor or the court.
- Peaceful return . This is a method used by defendants or convicts of corruption to return money obtained from corruption peacefully with the authorities without going through a legal process. Peaceful returns can be in the form of admitting guilt, apologizing, handing over money or assets resulting from corruption, or cooperating with the authorities to uncover other corruption cases. Peaceful returns are usually carried out as an attempt to obtain leniency or pardon.
What Happens If Corruptors Can’t Return Their Corruption Results?
So actually there is already a law that regulates this matter, namely Article 4 of Law no. 31 of 1999. This article contains that returning state financial losses or the country’s economy does not eliminate the punishment of perpetrators of corruption as referred to in Article 2 and Article 3 of the Law. Even if the money is returned, the law will continue because the crime has already occurred.
Several factors also have an influence on the cause of corruptors not being able to return the money from their corruption, one of which is that the money/assets they have are not enough because they have been spent.
What Are the Challenges in Returning Corruption Proceeds?
Although there are several ways that can be done to return the money resulting from corruption, not all of these methods run smoothly and effectively. There are several challenges faced in the process of returning money resulting from corruption, namely:
- Difficulties in identifying and tracking money resulting from corruption . Money resulting from corruption is often hidden or transferred to places that are difficult for law enforcement officials to reach, such as overseas bank accounts, fictitious companies, or unregistered movable or immovable assets. In addition, money resulting from corruption is often mixed with halal money or laundered through complex legal transactions and its origins are difficult to trace.
- Difficulties in proving and measuring state losses . Money resulting from corruption is not always in the form of cash that is easy to calculate. Money from corruption can be in the form of goods, services, rights, obligations or other benefits whose value is difficult to measure with certainty. In addition, money from corruption can also have an impact on potential or indirect state losses, such as lost opportunities, decreased quality of public services, or decreased public trust in the government.
- Difficulties in enforcing laws and international cooperation . Money resulting from corruption often involves different parties, both inside and outside the country. In order to enforce the law and return the proceeds of corruption, good and effective cooperation is required between various law enforcement agencies, both at the national and international levels. However, this cooperation is often hampered by differences in legal systems, regulations, standards of evidence, procedures, language, culture or political interests between the countries involved.
Conclusion and Closing
From the description above, we can conclude that returning money from corruption is an important thing and needs to be done to recover state losses and uphold justice. However, returning money resulting from corruption is also not an easy and simple thing. There are many ways to return money resulting from corruption, but there are also many challenges encountered in the process.
Therefore, we as citizens must play an active role in preventing and eradicating corruption. We can report if we know of indications of corruption in our environment, support law enforcement efforts against corruptors, and monitor the use of the state budget in a transparent and accountable manner.
Thus this article about whether the corrupted money will be returned. Hope this article will be more useful and increasing the knowledge all of us. If you have questions or comments regarding this article, please write in the comments column below. Thank you for reading this article to the end. See you in the next article!
Writer and proudly owner of Diringkas.com!
I like to Staying up-to-date with the latest tech advancements, playing video games, discovering new games, and writing about them.