Former Ombudsman Chairman Faces First Trial in Nickel Mining Corruption Case

The former chairman of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia, Hery Susanto, underwent his first trial on Thursday at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court. The hearing was scheduled for the examination of the defendant’s identity and the reading of the indictment. Jakarta District Court spokesperson Andri Saputra confirmed the trial took place in the Wirjono Projodikoro 1 courtroom, presided over by Judge Dwi Elyarahma Sulistyowati. The Attorney General’s Office previously named Hery a suspect in an alleged corruption case concerning the governance of nickel mining businesses from 2013 to 2025. The Director of Investigation at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that the alleged criminal acts occurred while Hery served as a member of the Ombudsman for the 2021-2026 period. Hery is suspected of receiving bribes from several mining companies in exchange for issuing Ombudsman Examination Result Reports or Examination Analysis Reports. According to the Attorney General’s Office, Hery allegedly received Rp 875 million from the director of PT Thosida Indonesia, Laode Sunarwan Oda, through Lukman Malanuang. He is also suspected of receiving Rp 200 million from the director of PT Dinamika Sejahtera Mandiri, Tjia Peng Tjoan, also known as Peng. Other alleged receipts include a house in the Gebang Permai commercial complex in Cakung, East Jakarta, valued at Rp 2.2 billion, from Agung Winarno. Additionally, Hery allegedly received Rp 1 billion through Edi Sukandi, Rp 525 million from Agung Winarno, and Rp 50 million from Muhammad Rozai, a representative of PT Mitra Kemala Energi, also through Agung Winarno. Agung Winarno is a suspect in a money laundering case linked to convicted felon Zarof Ricar.