Jokowi Denies Allegations of Paying Rismon Over Diploma Case
Former President Joko Widodo has denied claims that he provided a sum of money to Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar regarding the alleged fake diploma case. Jokowi deemed the rumour illogical and reversed in its logic.
The rumour surfaced following Rismon Sianipar’s application for restorative justice (RJ) to the Metro Jaya Regional Police (Polda), alleging that Jokowi paid up to Rp 50 billion related to the fake diploma matter.
According to Jokowi, several parties currently designated as suspects in the alleged defamation and defamation of honour case concerning the fake diploma accusations have submitted RJ requests to investigators at Polda Metro Jaya. In that process, he stated that those parties were also required to express apologies to him as the accused and aggrieved party.
“The logic is, these individuals are suspects, then they request RJ from Polda Metro Jaya, from the investigators, because the authority lies there. But they must apologise to the accused, to me,” Jokowi said when met at his residence in Sumber, Banjarsari Subdistrict, Solo, on Friday, 10 April 2026.
However, a narrative emerged claiming that Jokowi was instead giving money to the parties who accused him. Yet in this case, his position is as the accused party. He questioned this development.
“Would the accused be the one giving money? What’s the logic in that? Because they are suspects, they come here, we forgive them. Why would I be the one giving money? What’s the logic?” he stated.
Logically, according to Jokowi, those who became suspects in the case should be the ones paying him to be forgiven. “They should be the ones paying me to be forgiven. That’s the logic; don’t reverse it. Especially such a large amount of money,” Jokowi said.
Previously, Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar was known to have applied for resolution of the alleged diploma defamation case through the RJ mechanism. In that process, he also visited Jokowi directly in Solo.
Director of General Criminal Investigation at Polda Metro Jaya, Commissioner General Iman Imanuddin, explained that Rismon, along with his legal counsel Jahmada Girsang, had submitted a letter requesting facilitation for restorative justice to the investigators.
“A few days ago, RHS and his lawyer submitted a request for restorative justice facilitation to the investigators,” Iman said at Metro Jaya Police Headquarters, on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
In this case, investigators from Polda Metro Jaya have named eight individuals as suspects. They are Roy Suryo, Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar, Tifa Fauziah Tyassuma, Eggi Sudjana, Kurnia Tri Royani, Damai Hari Lubis, Rustam Effendi, and Muhammad Rizal Fadillah.
The police divided these suspects into two clusters. The first cluster consists of Eggi Sudjana, Kurnia Tri Royani, Damai Hari Lubis, Rustam Effendi, and Muhammad Rizal Fadillah. They are charged under Articles 310 and/or 311 and/or 160 of the Criminal Code, as well as provisions in the ITE Law, including Article 27A in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph (4) and Article 28 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 45A paragraph (2).
Meanwhile, the second cluster includes Roy Suryo, Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar, and Dr. Tifa. They are charged under Articles 310 and/or 311 of the Criminal Code, as well as several articles in the ITE Law, among them Article 32 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 48 paragraph (1), Article 35 in conjunction with Article 51 paragraph (1), Article 27A in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph (4), and Article 28 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 45A paragraph (2).
In another development, the police previously issued letters of discontinuation of investigation (SP3) against Eggi Sudjana and Damai Hari Lubis in mid-January. This decision was said to have come out shortly after the two met with Jokowi in Solo.