Jakarta — Through the deliberation of the Bill on Criminal Adjusment (RUU Penyesuaian Pidana), the Government aims to ensure that all criminal provisions operate within an integrated and modern legal system. The Vice Minister of Law, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, stated that the bill is expected to prevent overlapping regulations.
“This alignment is crucial to ensure that all criminal provisions function within a unified, consistent, and modern legal system, and to avoid uncertainty and overlapping rules,” said the Vice Minister, commonly known as Eddy, during a meeting with Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Tuesday (December 2, 2025).
According to the Professor of Criminal Law at Gadjah Mada University, the Bill on Criminal Adjustment will help create a more consistent and proportional sentencing system, providing legal certainty for all citizens.
Eddy explained that the bill is based on four key considerations. First, changes in society require harmonization of criminal sanctions in sectoral laws and regional regulations so they align with the principles and philosophy of the new Criminal Code (KUHP).
Second, the adjustment of criminal sanctions in regional regulations limits sentencing authority to fines not exceeding Category III and eliminates custodial penalties across all regional regulations. Third, there are still provisions in the KUHP that require editorial and normative refinement, particularly those that use special minimum penalties and cumulative punishment models. Lastly, improvements are being made to several provisions of the Criminal Code (KUHP) to ensure their effective implementation, legal clarity, and to prevent multiple interpretations,” he concluded.
“Lastly, the alignment is urgent to prevent regulatory gaps and disparities in sentencing across various sectors,” he explained.
As further explained by the Vice Minister of Law, the Bill on the Criminal Adjustment also contains three main areas of regulation. These include the adjustment of criminal sanctions in laws outside the Criminal Code (KUHP), including the removal of custodial penalties, the adjustment of fine categories, and the restructuring of criminal penalties to ensure consistency with Buku Kesatu KUHP. In addition, the bill provides for adjustments to criminal sanctions in regional regulations, as well as refinements to several provisions of the Criminal Code.
“Second, the adjustments in regional regulations limit penal authority to a maximum fine of Category III and eliminate imprisonment from all regional regulations. Third, improvements to several KUHP provisions are needed to ensure their implementation is effective, clear, and free from multiple interpretations,” he added.
During the first-stage deliberation, the Bill on Criminal Adjustment received approval and will proceed to the second stage for adoption at a plenary session of the DPR RI.
“We hope , the Bill on Criminal Adjustment can be enacted into law to serve as a legal foundation for harmonizing all criminal provisions in sectoral laws with the new KUHP,” he stated.
