Indonesia's controversial speaker of the House of Representatives, Marzuki Alie, has come up with a new idea to encourage graft fugitives to return home – forgiving them if they return the money.

"Let's call home all corruptors," Marzuki told Detik.com, "and tell them to bring the [stolen] money back, and put a tax on it."

Marzuki, who has a history of making statements that experts often say are foolish, said returning the money would result in a full pardon, although there was a catch. "But they cannot do it again. If they repeat it, [it means] the death penalty."

Marzuki is a senior member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, which is struggling to deal with a hugely embarrassing scandal involving fugitive lawmaker Muhammad Nazaruddin, went further, claiming investigating past wrongdoings would be "too difficult."

"Our life is about the future. We should all forgive each other." Marzuki, speaking after Friday prayers, added that: "Even God forgives all humans."