Former Ombudsman Chairman Charged with Accepting Rp4.8 Billion in Bribes and a House
Former Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Hery Susanto, has been charged with accepting bribes totalling Rp4.8 billion. The bribes, comprising cash and a house, are linked to a case concerning nickel mining governance from 2013 to 2025.
Public prosecutors stated that Hery received the bribes for allegedly abusing his authority in the preparation of Ombudsman investigation reports. “It was known or should have been suspected that the gifts or promises were given to influence him to perform or not perform an act in his official capacity,” the prosecutor said at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta on Thursday, 25 June 2026.
Prosecutors detailed several corporations that allegedly benefited from Hery Susanto’s actions. For instance, Hery, through an Ombudsman Final Investigation Report, annulled the non-tax state revenue obligations of PT Toshida Indonesia and PT Dinamika Sejahtera Mandiri, which had been established by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, classifying them as acts of maladministration. Furthermore, Hery also abused his authority to reject applications for the upgrade of Exploration Mining Business Permits to Production Operation Mining Business Permits on behalf of PT Mitra Kumala Energi and PT Gold Talenta Nala Raya, also deeming these as maladministration.
The details of the bribes received by Hery are as follows:
Rp675,000,000 from the Director of PT Tosida Indonesia, Laode Sinarwan Oda, channelled through Lukman Malanuang and delivered via Edi Sugandi.
Rp200,000,000 from the Director of PT Dinamika Sejahtera Mandiri, Tjia Peng Tjoan alias Peng, channelled through Lukman Malanuang.
A house worth Rp2,200,000,000 located at Pulo Gebang Permai Blok D5 Number 10, Pulo Gebang Village, Cakung District, East Jakarta, from Agung Winarno.
Rp1,200,000,000 from Agung Winarno (given in stages: Rp1 billion through Edi Sugandi and Rp200 million).
Rp525,000,000 from Agung Winarno.
Rp50,000,000 from a representative of PT Mitra Kumala Energi, Muhammad Rosal, through Agung Winarno.
For his actions, Hery is charged with violating Article 5, points 4 and 6 of Law Number 28 of 1999 concerning the Clean and Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism-Free State Administration. His actions also contravene Article 23 paragraph 2, Article 29 paragraph 1, and Article 36 paragraph 1 letter b, and Article 40 of Law Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Indonesian Ombudsman. Additionally, he is charged under Article 8 letter a of Indonesian Ombudsman Regulation Number 40 of 2019 concerning the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for Ombudsman Personnel, and Article 3 paragraph 1 and paragraph 2 of the Regulation of the Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman Number 4 of 2024 concerning Technical Guidelines for Document and Substance Examination.