Posts peddle false claim that Indonesia shelved proposed asset seizure law against graft convicts
- Published on July 20, 2026 at 09:59
- Updated on July 20, 2026 at 10:29
- 3 min read
- By Felix NATHANIEL, AFP Indonesia
A proposed law that would authorise the seizure of the assets of those convicted of graft has been delayed in the Indonesian parliament, but the bill remains on the legislative agenda and had not been dropped, contrary to false claims circulating online. A review of parliamentary records shows the House of Representatives is currently in the process of drafting the bill.
"Parliament officially rejected the Asset Confiscation Bill proposed by President Prabowo during its latest plenary session," reads an Indonesian-language TikTok post published on July 11, 2026.
The attached image shows a group of lawmakers inside a meeting room with a partially visible parliamentary commission sign in the background.
A similar post shared an image showing several officials -- including House Speaker Puan Maharani -- standing at a podium with overlaid text that reads: "Parliament officially rejects President Prabowo's Asset Confiscation Bill targeting corrupt officials."
Years of corruption in Indonesia have fuelled public calls for the passage of the Asset Confiscation Bill, particularly since 2025 when Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has repeatedly expressed support for the legislation (archived link).
However, more than a year after Prabowo pledged his commitment, the parliament has yet to pass the bill.
The proposed law -- which would provide a legal basis for law enforcement authorities to seize assets from people convicted of corruption -- was first drafted during former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration in the 2008 but has since faced years of debate and delays (archived link).
Similar posts with the same claim also circulated on Facebook and TikTok, but the claims are false.
Remains on agenda
A keyword search of the Indonesian parliament's official website found that the bill remains part of the 2026 National Legislative Program. It remains in the drafting stage after being included among the 67 priority bills in September 2025, having failed to make the priority list the previous year (archived here and here).
Subsequent keyword searches also found no official reports or parliamentary plenary sessions that indicate it had been removed from the legislative agenda.
Habiburokhman, a lawmaker from Prabowo's Gerindra Party who like many Indonesians goes by one name, also dismissed claims that parliament had abandoned deliberations on the bill.
"Today, hoaxes are circulating claiming that Commission III has refused to discuss the Asset Confiscation Bill. As you all know, we have spent weeks holding public hearings on the Asset Confiscation Bill," Habiburokhman said during a meeting at the parliament building on July 13 (archived link).
On the same day, the Indonesian parliament's official Instagram account also published a post describing claims that parliament had rejected the bill as a hoax (archived link).
"The Asset Confiscation Bill remains part of the 2026 Priority National Legislative Program as a House initiative. Throughout the drafting process, the House continues to gather input from various stakeholders to ensure the resulting legislation is not only effective in combating crime, but also guarantees legal certainty and prevents potential abuses of authority," it says.
Unrelated events
A reverse image search on Google found that the images used in the social media posts show unrelated events.
The picture seen in the first post was published by the Indonesian news outlet Detik.com on August 21, 2025 as members of the parliament and musicians tackled the revision of the Copyright Law.
A separate reverse image search shows the photo in the second post was taken during a meeting attended by Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani to discuss investment cooperation between Indonesia and China in May 2025. The photograph and report were published by the Indonesian state news agency Antara (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to the Asset Confiscation Bill.
Updated to clarify that lawmaker Habiburokhman, mentioned in para 11, goes by one nameJuly 20, 2026 Updated to clarify that lawmaker Habiburokhman, mentioned in para 11, goes by one name
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