BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR — Commission III of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI) conducted a specific working visit to the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office on Friday to monitor challenges in implementing the newly enacted Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). April 10, 2026.

The meeting took place at the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office on Jalan Tantular, Denpasar, from 10:35 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. local time. The delegation, consisting of 18 lawmakers from various political factions, was led by Commission III Deputy Chair Ahmad Sahroni.

The visit was part of the Commission’s specific working agenda during the Fourth Session Period of the 2025–2026 legislative year, which is being carried out simultaneously in three provinces: Aceh, Bali, and West Java.

Bali High Prosecutor Chatarina Muliana welcomed the delegation, accompanied by her senior officials and district prosecutors from across the province. Also in attendance were Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya and Bali National Narcotics Agency (BNNP) Head Brigadier General Budi Sajidin, along with their respective teams.

During the session, Muliana presented an overview of the implementation of Law No. 1/2023 on the new Criminal Code and Law No. 20/2025 on the new Criminal Procedure Code, both of which came into effect in early 2026. She noted that the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office oversees 10 working units across nine regencies and municipalities, with a total of 948 civil servants covering an area of 5,780 square kilometers.

From January to March 2026, the office recorded significant performance in handling general criminal cases. In the pre-prosecution stage, there were 218 appointments of public prosecutors (P-16), 70 requests for investigation updates (P-17), 22 orders to terminate investigations (SP-3), 21 case file returns (P-18/19), and 10 cases where extended investigation periods had expired (P-20).

In special crimes, authorities handled 14 cases under inquiry, 10 under investigation, 16 under prosecution, and executed three cases, successfully recovering state financial losses amounting to Rp605.87 million.

Muliana also highlighted the implementation of the Restorative Justice (RJ) approach under Article 79 paragraph 8 of the new KUHP. Between January and March 2026, eight theft cases were resolved through RJ mechanisms across several district prosecutor’s offices, including Denpasar, Karangasem, Bangli, Tabanan, and Badung.

One notable innovation is the application of social work punishment under Article 65 of the new KUHP. In a theft case involving a mobile phone in Denpasar, the suspect was sentenced to perform two hours of community service daily for one month at a local prayer facility.

To support the legal transition, the Attorney General’s Office has issued 11 internal technical regulations, including guidelines on coordination between investigators and prosecutors, technical instructions for prosecutions during the transition period, plea bargaining mechanisms, and restorative justice procedures. Additionally, the government has enacted Government Regulation No. 55/2025 on the recognition of “living law” in society.

Muliana said the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office has also implemented capacity-building programs to strengthen prosecutors’ understanding of the new laws, including internal discussions, consultations, monitoring forums, seminars, and focus group discussions involving national-level experts. A first-quarter performance evaluation was conducted on April 6, 2026.

Despite these efforts, several challenges remain. Among them are the shortened time limit for case file review from 14 days to 7 days, the absence of legal aid funding for indigent suspects as mandated under Article 31 of the 2025 KUHAP, lack of support facilities for suspects with disabilities under Article 34, and the need for adjustments to the Case Management System (CMS). Limited budget allocation for special crime cases, which currently covers only one case, was also raised as a concern.

To address these issues, the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office has intensified coordination through discussions, consultations, and joint monitoring with the Bali Police, Bali High Court, and district prosecutors across the island.

Muliana reaffirmed her office’s commitment to adapting and strengthening synergy among law enforcement agencies to ensure effective, fair, transparent, and human rights-based law enforcement.

Ahmad Sahroni expressed appreciation for the office’s openness and comprehensive presentation of data and challenges. He said the findings from the visit would serve as evaluation material and contribute to concrete recommendations by Commission III to improve the implementation of the KUHP and KUHAP nationwide.