Immanuel Ebenezer Hopes for Acquittal in K3 Certification Extortion Verdict

Defendant in the alleged extortion case of Occupational Safety and Health (K3) certification at the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), Immanuel Ebenezer, also known as Noel, admitted he was ready to face the panel of judges’ verdict reading session on Thursday (4/6). Although admitting to feeling nervous, the former Deputy Minister of Manpower said he completely surrendered his legal fate to the judges’ sense of justice. “First, yes, I am a bit anxious. But we ask for the public’s prayers so that this decision can be as fair as possible. Secondly, we trust the judges entirely, because we are very confident that the judges will deliver the fairest possible decision,” Noel said when met before the trial commenced. Noel openly expressed his hope for an acquittal. However, he acknowledged that the judicial process holds various possibilities. He affirmed his commitment from the outset that if proven to have committed extortion, he was ready to be heavily punished, but if not, he hoped for the lightest possible sentence. “Yes, free, the hope is to be free, but that might not be possible. However, expectations are always for the best,” he added. In his defence, Noel stressed that he would not run away from his responsibilities as a public official. He claimed to have poured all of his accountability into his defence plea and had no intention of blaming other parties in this matter. He also vowed to remain on the front lines of the struggle against the criminal practices of businesspeople that harm society, regardless of the final verdict. Previously, the Public Prosecutor had demanded a five-year prison sentence for Immanuel Ebenezer. Noel was deemed proven to have violated Article 12 letter b in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Eradication Law and Article 12B of the Corruption Law concerning gratification. In addition to imprisonment, the prosecutor demanded a fine of Rp250 million, subsidiary to 90 days of confinement, as well as an obligation to pay restitution amounting to Rp1.435 billion. As this report was filed, the trial, with the agenda of reading the verdict, was still ongoing. The panel of judges has full authority to decide whether Noel will be acquitted, receive a reduced sentence, or face a sentence heavier than the prosecutor’s demand.