Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar, the suspect in the alleged case of forged\ncertificates for Indonesia\u2019s seventh President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), has\ndramatically reversed his position. Rismon now claims that both Jokowi\u2019s\ncertificate and that of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka are\nauthentic.<\/p>\n
According to reports published on 14 March 2026, Rismon had submitted\na Restorative Justice (RJ) petition regarding the Jokowi certificate\ncase the previous week. He has also met with Jokowi in Solo, Central\nJava, and issued a formal apology.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral days ago or a week ago, the person in question, Rismon\nHasiholan Sianipar, along with his legal counsel, submitted a request\nfor restorative justice facilitation to the investigator,\u201d said Kombes\nIman Imannudin, Head of Criminal Investigation at Metro Jaya Police\nHeadquarters, to journalists on 11 March 2026.<\/p>\n
Iman stated that Rismon visited Metro Jaya Police Headquarters on 11\nMarch to inquire about developments in the matter. Metro Jaya Police is\ncurrently processing the restorative justice petition submitted by\nRismon.<\/p>\n
In this case, a total of eight suspects have been named, including\nRoy Suryo. Police continue to investigate the matter and have held a\nspecial case review. On 8 January 2026, Eggi Sudjana and Damai Hari\nLubis visited Jokowi\u2019s residence in Solo. Following their meeting,\nJokowi expressed hope that the case would be resolved through\nrestorative justice. Eggi Sudjana and Damai Hari Lubis subsequently\nsubmitted an RJ petition to the police, which was acted upon and\neventually resulted in the case being closed.<\/p>\n
Consequently, the case now involves only six remaining suspects,\ndivided into two clusters. The first cluster consists of three suspects:\nKurnia Tri Rohyani, Rustam Effendi, and Muhammad Rizal Fadillah. The\nsecond cluster comprises three suspects: Roy Suryo, Rismon Hasiholan\nSianipar, and Tifauzia Tyassuma, also known as Dr Tifa.<\/p>\n
Rismon currently remains a suspect. He is subject to mandatory\nreporting to Metro Jaya Police Headquarters. \u201cCoordination with the\ninvestigator can be arranged for specific reasons, such as mandatory\nreporting during Eid,\u201d said Kombes Budi Hermanto, Head of Public\nRelations at Metro Jaya Police Headquarters, to journalists on 13 March.\n\u201cMandatory reporting serves to monitor individuals with suspect\nstatus.\u201d<\/p>\n
After submitting his restorative justice petition, Rismon met with\nJokowi in Solo on 12 March. Rismon arrived accompanied by his legal\ncounsel, Jahmada Girsang. Rismon wore a black shirt with jeans. Upon\narrival, Rismon met directly with Jokowi for a closed meeting.<\/p>\n
Rismon stated that the purpose of his visit was to apologise to\nJokowi. \u201cOf course, I also apologise to the public, and especially to\nthe parties involved, such as Mr Joko Widodo. This is the responsibility\nof a researcher who must be independent, who is willing to be criticised\nand insulted by narratives created as people wish, even though those\nnarratives cannot be scientifically substantiated,\u201d he said after\nmeeting Jokowi.<\/p>\n
Jokowi confirmed that he has met with Rismon Sianipar, the suspect\naccused of promoting claims of forged certificates. Jokowi stated that\nhe has forgiven Rismon. \u201cYes, Mr Rismon Sianipar came to my residence\nyesterday and I received his apology,\u201d Jokowi said on 13 March.<\/p>\n
Jokowi indicated that he has handed over the legal matter of the\nforged certificate allegations to his legal adviser. He has delegated\nthe restorative justice process to his lawyer and the police. \u201cRegarding\nthe restorative justice matter, I will leave that to my legal adviser,\nas it is within the jurisdiction of Metro Jaya Police Headquarters and\nthe investigators at Metro Jaya Police,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Rismon now declares that both Jokowi\u2019s and Vice President Gibran\nRakabuming Raka\u2019s certificates are authentic. He plans to explain his\nfindings in a book currently being written.<\/p>\n
The certificate controversy involving Jokowi and Gibran, which Rismon\nhad previously claimed were forged in two of his publications titled\n\u2018Jokowi\u2019s White Paper\u2019 and \u2018Gibran End Game\u2019, has now been refuted by\nRismon himself. He claims to have conducted further investigation.<\/p>\n
This statement came after Rismon met with Vice President Gibran at\nthe Vice President\u2019s official residence in Jakarta. Rismon also issued a\ndirect apology. \u201cYes, they are authentic. Why? Based on my research, I\ncan say that truth hurts. Truth is painful. But it is even more painful\nfor me if I do not disclose it and am not honest,\u201d Rismon said.<\/p>\n
Rismon claims to have conducted further investigation over the past\nthree months. He asserts that he has discovered evidence of the\nauthenticity of Jokowi\u2019s certificate, specifically the presence of\nwatermarks and embossed features in the document that demonstrate\nconsistency with photographs of a certificate belonging to Dian Sandi\nUtama.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the discovery of stamp traces not visible in the\ncertificate photograph was obtained by incorporating variables of\ngeometric lighting, light intensity, and conclusions regarding lens type\nin the reconstruction of his latest research. \u201cI have identified three\nmain features: emboss in the bottom left corner, watermark present, and\nfeatures consistent with what was uploaded by Dian Sandi Utama. Do not\nsay it does not exist; it makes me sad,\u201d Rismon stated.<\/p>\n
Rismon informed Gibran that he would write a thesis countering his\nprevious works \u2018Jokowi\u2019s White Paper\u2019 and \u2018Gibran End Game\u2019. He claims\nthe writing of this book will take approximately six months, with\npublication expected within the current year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did tell the Vice President that I will write a correction to my\nincomplete research: Jokowi\u2019s White Paper and Gibran End Game. And I\nrequested permission to complete this in my hometown of Balige. I will\npublish it,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-certificate-controversy-takes-an-unexpected-turn-1773445903", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }