6 is not a short time. Enduring 6 years is not a quick journey for a man who had spent 22 years actively working as an employee, leaving for work at 6 AM and returning home at 6 PM. And now, he had to recall events from 11 years ago to face accountability.
The Lingering Legal Question.
Why did this legal event continue to cast a shadow?
In legal matters, there's a concept known as statute of limitations, which means the expiration of the right to sue or file a legal case, or the right to execute a legal decision, due to the passage of a time period specified by law.
In criminal cases, the statute of limitations for prosecution, based on the severity of the threatened punishment, refers to the currently applicable Criminal Code (KUHP), Article 78:
- • 6 years: for crimes punishable by a fine, confinement, or imprisonment for a maximum of 3 years.
• 12 years: for crimes punishable by imprisonment for more than 3 years.
• 18 years: for crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment.
A faint voice echoed, "The threat of imprisonment for more than 3 years," repeating the words spoken by a man in a white shirt sitting opposite her.
The woman slumped back against the chair, gazing at the ceiling as if searching for light to dispel other shadows from her husband's time as an employee. These shadows would continue to haunt him for another 14 years if he were threatened with corruption charges when the new Criminal Code comes into effect next year.
He could still clearly hear the faint sound of weakening footsteps descending the stairs until the sound faded, replaced by the roar of public transportation carrying her away. The man in the white shirt still watched from the window frame as a white sedan quickly left the parking lot.
His heart whispered, "Do it safely or not at all, my friend."