Old video misrepresented as Indonesian legislature 'rejecting asset seizure bill against graft convicts'

Published on April 24, 2025 at 07:20
3 min read
By Felix NATHANIEL, AFP Indonesia

After several executives from subsidiaries of Indonesia's state-owned energy firm were arrested for alleged corruption, calls for the confiscation of their assets grew. Social media users shared an old video that falsely claimed it showed the parliament rejecting a bill enabling the seizure of the assets of those convicted of graft, but the clip in fact depicts a scuffle between lawmakers during a leadership election in 2014.

"Chaos in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). Those on the people's side pushed for the Asset Confiscation Bill," says an Indonesian-language SnackVideo post shared on April 2.

"But the deputy speaker rejected the Asset Confiscation Bill against those who are corrupt."

The video shows a commotion between lawmakers.

Screenshot of the false post taken on April 22, 2025

Indonesia's attorney general's office said in February it had arrested several executives from subsidiaries of state-owned energy firm PT Pertamina for alleged corruption over oil imports that had cost the country nearly $12 billion (archived link). Some quarters of the government said ill-gotten assets should be confiscated (archived link).

President Prabowo Subianto also voiced his support for the forfeiture of assets obtained through illicit means after he was asked about the Asset Confiscation bill during an interview on April 6, according to Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link).

The draft law -- which aims to provide a legal basis for law enforcement to seize assets from those convicted of corruption -- was initially drawn up during former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's tenure in the early 2000s, but it has been mired in debates and delays (archived link).

Parliamentary leaders announced in November 2024 that the bill would not be tabled in 2025 as it required more deliberations, according to another report from Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link).

The claim spread elsewhere on SnackVideo and on TikTok.

Comments suggest some users believed the clip shows the Indonesian parliament throwing out the bill.

"Just dissolve the DPR, no need for the DPR," said one user.

Another commented, "Just arrest the DPR members who reject this law."

But the claim is false as the Indonesian parliament's website lists the bill as still under consideration as of April 24, 2025 (archived link).

A reverse image search on Google led to a video that Indonesian media organisation BeritaSatu published on its verified YouTube account on October 2, 2014, titled "Breaking news: plenary session turns chaotic" (archived link).

The caption of the footage says it shows lawmakers rushing to the speaker's table during a House leader poll.

Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and BeritaSatu's video

The news organisation also published other videos showing the same scene (archived here and here).

The stormy opening session was seen as a bad omen for Joko Widodo, who at that time was set to take office as Indonesian president weeks following the session (archived link).

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail