The House of Representatives Approves Abolition for Tom Lembong and Amnesty for Hasto Kristiyanto

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The People's Representative Council or DPR has approved President Prabowo Subianto's request to grant abolition to former Minister of Trade Tom Lembong and amnesty to the Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto. This decision is claimed to be in the interest of the nation and to maintain national integrity.

The Deputy Speaker of the DPR from the Gerindra Party Faction, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, stated at a press conference on Thursday (31/7/2025) evening that his party received two Presidential Letters (Surpres) dated July 30, 2025, namely Number R43/PRES/07/2025 regarding the request for the DPR's approval consideration for granting abolition to Tom Lembong and Number 42/PRES/07/2025 concerning amnesty for 1,116 convicts, including Hasto Kristiyanto.

"We have just held a consultation meeting (between the DPR and the government). The outcome of the meeting is that the DPR has provided considerations and approval for the granting of abolition to Mr. Tom Lembong. Secondly, the approval for amnesty has been granted to 1,116 individuals, including Mr. Hasto Kristiyanto," explained Dasco.

This announcement was made at the Nusantara III Building, Parliament Complex, Jakarta. In addition to Dasco and several legislators from Commission III of the DPR, representatives from the government were also present, including Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas.

Tom Lembong was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison in a sugar import case during his tenure as Minister of Trade from 2015 to 2016, by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 18.

Hasto was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of Rp 250 million, with a subsidiary of three months' imprisonment, by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 25. Hasto was found to be involved in the bribery case concerning the replacement of a member of the DPR for Harun Masiku.

Amnesty means the elimination of all legal consequences of a criminal act. Meanwhile, abolition refers to the cessation of legal proceedings against an individual that are currently ongoing, but does not eliminate the legal status of the actions taken.

Before being presented by President Prabowo to the DPR, according to Supratman, the proposal for abolition and amnesty for Tom and Hasto was submitted by the Ministry of Law to Prabowo. Supratman stated that the considerations regarding the granting of abolition and amnesty were for the interests of the nation and the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

However, he dismissed the granting of abolition and amnesty due to President Prabowo's response to the public debate surrounding the two cases. The public debate concerned the oddity of Tom Lembong, who was deemed to lack mens rea (evil intent), and Hasto, who was allegedly charged for political reasons.

"This is purely a legal consideration. It is for the interests of the nation and the state. The focus is on the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Secondly, it is to weave a sense of brotherhood among all the nation's children," said Supratman.

"We presented that to the President, of course, considering the subjective considerations that I mentioned, that the individual has achievements and contributions to the Republic," he continued.

The granting of amnesty, Supratman continued, is also extended to convicts in cases of presidential defamation and unarmed treason. In addition, there are also cases related to politics, as well as elderly prisoners and individuals with mental health issues.

"We have communicated this with other stakeholders. This is also a consideration for building this nation together with all political elements and political forces in Indonesia," said Supratman.

When asked about the granting of amnesty to the defendant Tom Lembong, the Head of the Legal Information Center of the Attorney General's Office, Anang Supriatna, stated that his office has not yet received that information. In fact, he admitted that he only received the information from journalists. Therefore, he is not yet willing to provide a response. He only confirmed that Tom is still in custody.

"I just found out, we have just announced our legal appeal efforts. We will focus on that first. If there is a policy (abolition), we will study what it is like first," said Anang.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the Corruption Eradication Commission, Budi Prasetyo, stated that his side will study the information related to the amnesty for Hasto. "Meanwhile, the legal process is still ongoing, including the appeal process," he said when contacted separately.

A member of Commission III of the DPR from the Prosperous Justice Party faction, Nasir Djamil, believes that the state is responding to public unrest regarding law enforcement against public figures who have legal issues, which appears to be forced.

"The law is no longer applied to seek truth and justice. The law is heavily influenced by the position we are in," he said.

The President, Nasir continued, certainly cannot make that decision before obtaining legal considerations from the Supreme Court and approval from the DPR. This is to ensure that the executive, judicial, and legislative branches are in agreement regarding the amnesty and abolition. "If everyone agrees, then let it proceed," said Nasir.