Immigration Corruption Codes Revealed by Silmy Karim: 'Angels' and 'Band Concerts'
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed corruption codes used in an alleged extortion case involving residence permits for Foreign Nationals (WNA) and the receipt of gratifications, which implicates the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services, Silmy Karim. These codes were reportedly used as special distribution identifiers.
KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto explained that these codes were employed to disguise the distribution of proceeds from the alleged criminal acts. “To disguise the distribution of money, the parties used special distribution codes, such as the term ‘angels’ to refer to money distributions intended for high-ranking officials within the Directorate General of Immigration/Ministry of Immigration,” Setyo stated during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.
He further noted that other codes included terms related to paying for a band’s concert, such as ‘vocalist’, ‘guitarist’, ‘backing vocal’, and ‘choreographer’, which represented the flow of funds to specific parties. The criminal activities under investigation by the KPK occurred between 2022 and 2026. During the 2023-2024 period, Silmy served as the Director General of Immigration under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
Setyo revealed that Silmy is alleged to have engaged in extortion by ‘demanding a share’ from the processing of residence permits for foreign nationals through the Director of Residence Permits, Jaya Saputra, who now serves as the Head of the West Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration. The criminal act also involved several officials and employees within the Directorate General of Immigration, as well as the use of nominee accounts to collect fees from service agencies or foreign nationals.
“During the 2022-2026 period, parties within the Directorate General of Immigration/Ministry of Immigration received money directly (cash/transfer) or through layering/intermediaries, amounting to at least Rp145.5 billion,” Setyo said. “The money was then distributed to individuals within the Directorate General of Immigration every Friday, including Mr. SK [Silmy Karim], who received a regular share of Rp100 million per week.”
In addition to Silmy, the KPK has named seven others as suspects, including the Acting Director General of Immigration for 2024-2025, Saffar Muhammad Godam; Director of Residence Permits, Jaya Saputra; and several other sub-directorate officials and immigration heads. The suspects have been detained for an initial 20-day period starting 4 June. Silmy and the other seven suspects are charged with violating Articles 12e and/or 12B of the Law on the Eradication of Corruption in conjunction with Article 20c of Law Number 1 of 2023 regarding the Criminal Code (KUHP).