ICW Urges KPK to Apply Money Laundering Charges in Immigration Case
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) is urging the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to apply money laundering articles in the case of alleged corruption within the Immigration Department. ICW has highlighted the positive impact of applying such charges in this specific case.
“The KPK must use money laundering articles regarding the processing of stay permits for foreign nationals. If the KPK applies money laundering charges, there is the potential for owners of bank accounts used to collect criminal proceeds to be held as passive perpetrators,” said Wana Alamsubyah, Head of the Law and Investigation Division of ICW, when confirmed on Sunday (7/6/2026).
In this case, the KPK has charged the former Deputy Minister of Immigration, Silmy Karim, alongside seven other high-ranking immigration officials. Furthermore, ICW is urging the KPK to summon all parties involved in the processing of foreign national stay permits since 2019.
“This is to follow up on findings from the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), which discovered suspicious fund flows in 96 bank accounts belonging to 35 employees of the Ministry of Immigration, with a total value reaching Rp 366.7 billion,” said Wana.
Wana emphasised that using the State Officials’ Wealth Report (LHKPN) as a substantive basis to identify abnormal wealth is crucial for an early warning system. “This is because there has been an increase in the possession of abnormal wealth by Silmy Karim, reaching Rp 5 billion during 2024-2025,” Wana added.
ICW also asserted that the government should use this case as a momentum to conduct performance evaluations and audits of all licensing processes. “This should not be limited to stay permits for foreign nationals. There are concerns that licensing processes in other sectors may be experiencing similar issues,” said Wana.
It is reported that the parties caught in the sting operation (OTT) and currently designated as suspects include the Acting Director General of Immigration 2024-2025, Saffar Muhammad Godam (SMG); Director of Stay Permits and Immigration Status, Jaya Saputra (JS); Sub-director of Stay Permit Status Change, Tessar Bayu Setyaji (TBS); Sub-director in the Directorate of Stay Permits, Bagus Bramantyo (BGS); Head of Central Jakarta Immigration Office 2024-2025 and Head of Class I Special Non-TPI West Jakarta Immigration Office 2025-2026, Ronald Arman Abdullah (RAA); Head of the ITAS Status Change Team, Juniadi Sri Priambudi (JSP); and Stay Permit Sub-directorate Staff, Gusti Benardiansyah (GST). This was followed by Silmy Karim (SK), who surrendered himself following the sting operation.
Other parties caught in the sting operation include Muchamad Prayitna, Thontowi Ridho, Rachmawati Dewi Supeni, Alday Jaya Koeswanto, and Robert Putranto. Private sector individuals Imas Rismaya, Ferri Ramdani, Sandhi Hartawan, Rolly Agustinus Diang, and Immanuel M. Budiman have also been identified; however, they have not been named as suspects at this time.
The KPK has detained the suspects for the initial 20-day period from 4 to 23 June 2026. Suspects JSP, GST, and RAA are being held at the KPK ACLC C1 Detention Centre, while suspects SK, SMG, JS, TBS, and BGS are detained at the KPK Merah Putih Building Detention Centre. For their actions, the suspects are charged with corruption offences as stipulated under Article 12 letter e and/or Article 12B of Law Number 31 of 1999.