High Court Judge Increases Harvey Moeis' Sentence, House Commission III: A Slap for the Prosecutor's Office

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Commission III of the House of Representatives appreciates the decision of the Jakarta High Court to increase the sentence of Harvey Moeis, the defendant in the tin management corruption case, from 6.5 years in prison to 20 years in prison. This decision is considered to have addressed the public's sense of justice. However, it also serves as a slap in the face for the Attorney General's Office, which initially only demanded a 12-year prison sentence for Harvey Moeis.

The Jakarta High Court sentenced Harvey Moeis to 20 years in prison. This sentence is not only three times heavier than the verdict handed down by the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), but also higher than the demand of the public prosecutor.

Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives from the Nasdem Party faction, Rudianto Lallo, when contacted in Jakarta, Thursday (13/2/2025), said that there are several important points that need to be highlighted from the Jakarta High Court's decision. He considers this decision to be a slap in the face for the prosecution.

"This is a slap in the face for the prosecution, because the case was sentenced to 20 years even though the demand was only 12 years, if I am not mistaken. This means the appeal sentence is higher than the judge's sentence, higher than the prosecutor's demand," said Rudianto.

Previously, the public frequently compared corruption cases with chicken theft cases. This is a harsh satire from justice-seeking citizens, the Indonesian people, who consider these merely farcical.

This, continued Rudianto, indicates that there is something that needs to be evaluated in the prosecutor's demands. He also believes that this appellate court decision should serve as a correction for the judges who ruled on Harvey Moeis's case at the first level.

"I think with this 20-year prison sentence, the public will surely feel that there is still a sense of justice. Yes, there are still progressive judges in the Jakarta high court," said Rudianto.

Rudianto then criticized the disparity in handling legal cases in Indonesia, considering that previously the public had widely compared corruption cases with chicken theft cases. "This is a harsh criticism from justice-seeking citizens, the Indonesian people, who consider this to be mere farce. Something like that," he said.

He appreciated the courage and firmness of the judges who decided the Harvey Moeis case at the Jakarta High Court. This means that the judges have understood the message often conveyed by President Prabowo Subianto where corruptors are enemies of the state and corruptors must be dealt with firmly.

"If the President speaks as Head of State, there is the legislative and the judiciary in it. So when the President speaks like that, it should be interpreted by the judges handling corruption cases to be careful, not to decide cases that can be criticized by the public, which are considered not to fulfill the public's sense of justice. That's more or less it," Rudianto asserted.

Contacted separately, Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives from the Golkar Party Faction, Soedeson Tandra, also appreciated the decision of the Jakarta High Court, which has increased Harvey Moeis' sentence. "And we hope that this sentence must be upheld in the MA (Supreme Court). Because this answers the public's sense of justice," he said.

Not enough to increase his sentence, according to Tandra, Harvey Moeis' compensation should also be pushed bigger. In fact, he considered, the perpetrator in the tin management corruption case should be impoverished.

"In principle, we ask to impoverish them, yes, that's all, so that it can be a lesson for others," said Tandra.

In addition, Tandra continued, the intellectual actor behind the tin management corruption case must also be immediately revealed and investigated. "And, we ask that it not be the same thing, where is the intellectual actor? Where is the intellectual actor behind Harvey Moeis? Pursue them and they must also be punished as severely as possible," said Tandra.