Ethics Panel Completes Interviews, Awaits Written Statement from Former Ombudsman Hery Susanto
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Ombudsman RI Ethics Panel Chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie stated that interviews with several parties regarding alleged ethical violations by former Ombudsman Hery Susanto have been completed. Jimly said the panel is now awaiting a written statement from Susanto regarding the allegations.
“Today we are still waiting for a written response from the respondent HS, though we have conducted two interviews, one with his legal representative,” Jimly said during a press conference at the Ombudsman’s office in Jakarta on Friday, 29 June 2026. He added that the Attorney General’s Office did not permit Susanto to be examined by the ethics panel, hence the request for a written statement.
“Last week we sent a letter due to the unavailability of permission; it was impossible to get approval from the Attorney General, so we requested written testimony,” he said. “Today we await HS’s written reply, after which we will hold a meeting and request time for a plenary session to finalise our report.”
Jimly also mentioned that two former Ombudsman leaders were interviewed, who had recommended four former members to reapply as Ombudsman members. “Only two passed. All of those who passed were given references by the chairman. We want to check why references were given despite cases reported by Tempo, whether there were any ethical violations during that time. We reviewed this for almost two hours,” he said.
Jimly explained that the summoning was a procedural step before a decision is made, as the Ethics Panel must hear and clarify matters with the selection committee, the Attorney General’s Office, Ombudsman RI internal staff, and Ombudsman RI members for the 2026-2031 term.
The Attorney General’s Office has named Hery Susanto as a suspect in a corruption case involving nickel mining operations from 2013 to 2025. Director of Special Criminal Investigations at the Attorney General’s Office, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that Susanto allegedly committed the crime while serving as an Ombudsman RI member from 2021 to 2026.
“The suspect designation was made after the investigation team obtained sufficient evidence through a series of investigative actions, searches, and other procedures,” he said at the Attorney General’s Office building in Jakarta on Thursday, 16 April 2026.
PT TSHI sought a solution by colluding with Hery Susanto, who was then an Ombudsman commissioner. To implement this, Hery received money from LKM, who is the director of PT TSHI.