Commission II of DPR unaware of Ombudsman's Chairman having case during fitness test

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Zulfikar Arse Sadikin stated that he was unaware that Hery Susanto, who later became Chairman of the Ombudsman RI, had a case during the commission’s fitness and propriety test conducted on the individual some time ago.

Zulfikar, in Jakarta on Friday, said that Commission II of DPR RI at that time fully entrusted the matter to the selection team for prospective Ombudsman commissioners, who had previously screened the candidates.

Nevertheless, Zulfikar conveyed an apology and expressed concern because Ombudsman RI Chairman Hery Susanto has been designated as a corruption suspect by the Attorney General’s Office.

“Because, to be honest, we did not know exactly about that issue. And when the fit and proper test was conducted, we also fully trusted what was produced by the selection team,” Zulfikar said at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta.

According to him, the selection team for prospective Ombudsman commissioners had worked very well, transparently, and objectively, resulting in 18 names that were then tested by his side.

“Yes, we assumed that (those names) were the best,” he said.

From those 18 names, his side then selected through fitness and propriety tests, resulting in nine names that passed to be inaugurated as Ombudsman RI Commissioners for 2026–2031, including Hery Susanto as chairman.

“Of course, we must follow and fully surrender to the procedures, mechanisms, and applicable legal rules in our country,” he said.

Previously, the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) revealed that Ombudsman RI Chairman Hery Susanto is alleged to have received a bribe of Rp1.5 billion from PT TSHI in a case of alleged criminal corruption in nickel mining business governance activities from 2013-2025.

“So, at the time the individual was serving as an Ombudsman RI Commissioner. This incident occurred in 2025, and in 2025 there was receipt of money; for now, we can detect around Rp1.5 billion,” said Director of Investigations of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of Kejagung Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi at the Jampidsus Building, Kejagung, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4).