Former Ombudsman Chairman Denies Receiving Rp 875 Million from Mining Company

Former Indonesian Ombudsman Chairman Hery Susanto has denied receiving Rp 875 million from a consultant connected to PT Toshida Indonesia, directly contradicting testimony given at the Jakarta Corruption Court. During the hearing on Thursday, witness Lukman Malanuang, a former consultant for PT Toshida Indonesia, stated he had received Rp 1.5 billion from the company, of which Rp 875 million was handed over to Susanto and Rp 625 million was retained as his consultancy fee. Susanto challenged this claim in court, asking Lukman whether the money was for the witness or for him, before asserting that he had never received the funds. Lukman, however, stood by his statement to investigators. Prosecutors allege that Susanto accepted bribes totalling Rp 4.8 billion in cash and property between 2013 and 2025. The charges state the bribes were intended to influence the Ombudsman to declare maladministration in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s calculation of non-tax state revenue payment obligations for PT Toshida Indonesia and PT Dinamika Sejahtera Mandiri, as well as in the rejection of a mining permit upgrade for PT Mitra Kumala Energi.