Commission II Requests Ombudsman Commissioners to Hold Internal Meeting After Chairman Becomes Corruption Suspect

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives has requested the leaders of the National Ombudsman to promptly carry out internal consolidation after Ombudsman Chairman Hery Susanto was designated as a suspect in an alleged corruption case. Commission II Chairman Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda stated that this consolidation is necessary to ensure the duties and functions of the Ombudsman continue optimally throughout Indonesia. “We request that the eight leaders of the National Ombudsman immediately conduct internal consolidation and ensure that all duties, authorities, and functions of the National Ombudsman across Indonesia run well under the leadership of colleagues who were just inaugurated by the president last week,” Rifqi said when contacted on Thursday (16/4/2026). Rifqinizamy revealed that the entire Commission II apparatus was shocked by the news of Hery’s suspect status. “We have had informal discussions with fellow Commission II members; we are very shocked, in disbelief, and certainly regret this news. We respect the ongoing legal process,” he said. On that occasion, he also asked all parties to prioritise the presumption of innocence principle in the case. “Regarding Mr Hery Susanto, let us give the legal process time to proceed by upholding the presumption of innocence, and Commission II of the House of Representatives certainly regrets that this could happen,” he said. He added that this event should serve as evaluation material for all parties to make the Ombudsman institution better in the future. “This also serves as a correction for all of us, and hopefully in the future the National Ombudsman will be better,” he stated. Head of the Public Relations Centre for the Attorney General’s Office, Anang Supriatna, said the suspect designation was based on evidence found by investigators. “The investigation team has designated suspect HS,” Anang said during a press conference at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta on Thursday (16/4/2026). Director of Investigation at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman, stated that the case originated from a company with the initials PT TSHI which faced issues with the calculation of non-tax state revenue (PNBP) by the Ministry of Forestry. The company then collaborated with Hery to find a way out of the problem.