Jokowi Pardons Rismon Sianipar, Delegates Restorative Justice Decision to Metro Police
JAKARTA — Seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has delegated the restorative justice decision to the Jakarta Metro Police (Polda Metro Jaya) after the suspect Rismon Sianipar issued an apology.
His lawyer, Yakup Hasibuan, will first inform the investigators of the results of Rismon’s meeting with Jokowi. “We will promptly inform this to the investigators for consideration and determination by the investigators,” Yakup told Kompas.com on Friday, 13 March 2026. “It is true that in principle President Jokowi has accepted the apology and restorative justice request from Rismon Sianipar,” he said.
Regarding other suspects, Yakup cannot represent Jokowi. If other suspects come to apologise as a step towards case resolution, the decision will be left to Jokowi. “Because forgiveness is very personal, we are delegating this matter to President Jokowi to determine,” he said.
Separately, Rismon has stated that his research in the book “Jokowi’s White Paper” was erroneous. He has acknowledged that Jokowi’s diploma is authentic. “Yes, it is authentic. Why? Based on my research, that’s why I said, truth hurts. But what hurts me more is if I were not willing to reveal it,” Rismon said after meeting Vice President Gibran Rakabuming at the Vice President’s Office in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.
Brigadier General Iman Imanudin, Director of the General Criminal Investigation Unit at the Jakarta Metro Police, stated that his office is currently processing the request. “A few days ago, RHS and his lawyer submitted a request for restorative justice facilitation to the investigators. And we are making efforts to facilitate the request submitted by the suspect RHS,” Iman told journalists on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
The Jakarta Metro Police designated eight individuals as suspects in the case involving allegations of forged diplomas for Jokowi following an extended investigation. “The Jakarta Metro Police has established 8 suspects in the case of defamation, slander, hate speech, and electronic data manipulation reported by Mr. Ir. H. Joko Widodo,” said the Jakarta Metro Police Chief, Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri, in a press conference at the Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters on Friday, 7 November 2025.
In general, the eight suspects are charged under Article 27A and Article 28 of the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (ITE), as well as Articles 310 and/or 311 of the Criminal Code with a maximum prison sentence of 6 years.