Fokal IMM calls for strengthening ethical oversight of RI Ombudsman
Jakarta (ANTARA) - General Secretary of the Central Leadership of the Forum of Muhammadiyah Student Association Alumni (Fokal IMM), Yusuf Warsyim, stated that there must be strengthened oversight of the ethics of the RI Ombudsman’s commissioners, in the wake of the corruption case against RI Ombudsman Chairman Hery Susanto, who has been named a suspect.
According to him, the case ensnaring the RI Ombudsman’s leadership serves as a serious alarm regarding the potential for abuse of authority within independent state institutions.
“The RI Ombudsman has thus far been positioned as a supervisor of public service delivery, yet in practice, it lacks a strong and independent external ethical oversight mechanism,” Yusuf said in Jakarta on Friday.
Based on RI Ombudsman Regulation Number 40 of 2019 on the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for RI Ombudsman Personnel, oversight of the nine Ombudsman members is predominantly internal, through the ethical code and institutional mechanisms within the Ombudsman itself.
Yusuf stated that this situation has the potential to create conflicts of interest and weaken the principle of accountability, as the scope for objectivity is limited if oversight is internal.
“In the context of a rule of law state, every public authority must be supervised in layers, including through external mechanisms,” he said.
On that basis, he proposed the establishment of an ethics oversight body with the authority to conduct examinations and enforcement of the ethical code against all RI Ombudsman members.
In addition, Yusuf also advocated for revisions to the Ombudsman Law to accommodate a more transparent, accountable, and independent ethical oversight system.
“Strengthening ethical oversight is not intended to weaken the Ombudsman, but rather to ensure that this institution remains credible, independent, and does not abuse its authority,” he said.
Previously, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) designated RI Ombudsman Chairman for the 2026–2031 period, Hery Susanto, as a suspect in an alleged criminal corruption case in nickel mining business governance activities from 2013–2025.
Director of Investigations of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the AGO, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that Hery committed the alleged criminal act while serving as an RI Ombudsman Commissioner for the 2021–2026 period.
“The designation of the suspect was carried out after the investigation team obtained sufficient evidence through a series of investigative actions, searches, and others,” he said at the Jampidsus Building of the AGO, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4).