Indonesia president pledges to pardon 'corrupters' who return what they stole

19/12/2024 15:33

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said he might pardon people who engaged in graft if they return what they stole, underlining his commitment to tackle corruption.



Speaking before hundreds of Indonesian university students in Cairo on Wednesday during his visit to Egypt, Prabowo said he would implement a plan to retrieve ill-gotten gains in the coming weeks or months.



"Hey you corrupters, or those who feel that you have stolen from the people, if you return what you stole, we might forgive you. But please return it," Prabowo said.



He did not give details on his plan, but said his government might provide ways for wrongdoers to discreetly return what was stolen.



Prabowo took office in Oct. 20 and vowed to eradicate corruption and introduce a "realistic" approach to preventing it by increasing wages of state officials entrusted with large budgets.



Experts have highlighted a slowdown in Indonesia's anti-corruption drive during the 10-year administration of his predecessor, Joko Widodo.