Commission II Apologises for Vetting Hery Susanto
Commission II of the House of Representatives has apologised to the public if there were any deficiencies in the fit and proper test for Hery Susanto, Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman. Hery was arrested by the Attorney General’s Office in a suspected criminal corruption case involving nickel mining governance from 2013 to 2025.
“If there is indeed anything wrong from us in Commission II in carrying out our function, especially the supervisory function, we apologise to the public. Including when we conducted the fit and proper test at the time the person in question was to be selected again,” said Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives, Zulfikar Arse Sadikin, at the House complex on Friday, 17 April 2026.
Zulfikar admitted he did not know the details of the case involving Hery. He said he fully trusted the results produced by the selection team at that time.
According to him, the selection team had worked well, transparently, and objectively. Thus, Commission II of the House of Representatives was confident that the 18 names brought by the selection team were the best candidates.
“We just selected nine of the best from those 18, and according to us, those nine were indeed worthy and eligible to be chosen at that time,” he stated.
Zulfikar expressed concern over what happened to the Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman. He said Commission II fully hands over this case to the ongoing legal process. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ombudsman has apologised for Hery Susanto’s arrest.
“The leadership of the Indonesian Ombudsman for the 2026-2031 period conveys an apology for the public discomfort and regrets that this incident occurred, and is strongly committed to continuing to maintain public trust in the task of supervising public services with full integrity,” said Deputy Chairman concurrently Member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Rahmadi Indra Tektona, in his official statement on Thursday, 16 April 2026.
Rahmadi said the leadership of the Indonesian Ombudsman respects the ongoing legal process and hands over the handling of this case to law enforcement.