Judge Frustrated as Former Manpower Ministry Secretary General Refuses to Answer Questions on Foreign Worker Permit Fees
A judge grilled former Secretary General of the Ministry of Manpower Heri Sudarmanto over the protracted process for obtaining foreign worker (TKA) permits. The judge became visibly frustrated when Heri refused to answer questions about whether fees were being charged to process the permits.
The hearing took place at the Jakarta Central Corruption Court on Thursday (19 February 2026). The judge began by explaining that testimony from several witnesses, who were foreign worker agents, had established that the process for obtaining foreign worker permits at the Ministry of Manpower was excessively lengthy.
The prolonged process, the judge said, created opportunities for expediting applications. The judge then put the question directly to Heri in his capacity as former Secretary General of the Ministry.
“Were you aware of these problems?” the judge asked.
“Once again, Your Honour, during our time there were two products — one was the RPTKA [Foreign Worker Employment Plan], and the other was the IMTA [Foreign Worker Employment Permit],” Heri replied.
“Because other witnesses have testified that these loopholes existed since you were in office,” the judge pressed.
“With your permission, Your Honour, as I am also currently being investigated by law enforcement officials, I will confirm this matter later,” Heri responded.
The judge appeared irritated by Heri’s failure to provide a direct answer and admonished him, asking whether he was refusing to respond.
“They complained that processing the RPTKA took too long unless fees were paid. Yet the RPTKA process is supposed to be free of charge. So they were being asked to pay Rp 500,000 per foreign worker, whilst for Chinese workers it was Rp 1,500,000. This practice of charging fees has existed since your time in office,” the judge stated.
“Yes. With your permission, Your Honour, I shall review that again. I apologise — I am only human and have my weaknesses. Nevertheless, this will serve as input for us. Thank you,” Heri answered.
“So you are unwilling to answer our questions?” the judge asked.
The judge then explained that, based on witness testimony regarding the expedited processing of foreign worker permits, witnesses had indicated that the directive originated from Heri. Upon hearing this, Heri immediately denied the allegation.
“Several previous witnesses have testified that the initial directive for this practice came from a witness named Heri Sudarmanto. That is what was explained. That is why I am seeking your confirmation. The witnesses explained that they had complained about the RPTKA processing being slow for a long time. Why was it slow? They also had to wait a long time for Skype interview schedules. Because of these delays, they felt disadvantaged. Correct?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Heri replied.
“Because they felt disadvantaged, they sought loopholes — ways to ensure the RPTKA processing would not take so long. Because of demands for faster processing, the directive ultimately came from you,” the judge said.
“Hmm… I do not feel that was the case. I apologise,” Heri responded.
There are eight defendants in this case, identified as follows:
- Putri Citra Wahyoe — RPTKA Hotline Officer from 2019 to 2024 and RPTKA Verification Officer at the Directorate for Control of Foreign Worker Employment (PPTKA) from 2024 to 2025.
- Jamal Shodiqin — Administrative Analyst at the PPTKA Directorate from 2019 to 2024, also serving as Junior Expert Employment Facilitator at the PPTKA Directorate from 2024 to 2025.
- Alfa Eshad — Intermediate Expert Employment Facilitator at the Ministry of Manpower from 2018 to 2025.
- Suhartono — Director General of Labour Placement Development and Employment Opportunity Expansion (Binapenta and PKK) at the Ministry of Manpower from 2020 to 2023.
- Haryanto — Director of PPTKA from 2019 to 2024, also serving as Director General of Binapenta and PKK from 2024 to 2025, currently holding the position of Ministerial Expert Staff for International Relations.
- Wisnu Pramono — Director of PPTKA from 2017 to 2019.
- Devi Angraeni — Director of PPTKA from 2024 to 2025.
- Gatot Widiartono — Coordinator for Analysis and Control of Foreign Worker Employment (PPTKA) from 2021 to 2025.
Prosecutors stated that the defendants demanded money and goods from agents, including a Vespa Primavera 150 ABS A/T motorcycle and an Innova Reborn motor vehicle. The extortion was carried out to enrich these civil servants at the Ministry of Manpower.
The breakdown of alleged enrichment is as follows: Putri received Rp 6.39 billion; Jamal received Rp 551.16 million; Alfa received Rp 5.24 billion; Suhartono received Rp 460 million; Haryanto received Rp 84.72 billion plus one Innova Reborn vehicle; Wisnu received Rp 25.2 billion plus one Vespa Primavera 150 ABS A/T motorcycle; Devi received Rp 3.25 billion; and Gatot received Rp 9.48 billion.