Judge Highlights Rampant Corruption Cases in Ministry of Manpower: This is the Ministry with the Most Problems

Jakarta - Judge Alfis Setyawan has pointed out the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) as the ministry with the most problems due to the prevalence of corruption cases within its internal bodies.

The judge made this remark while examining the defendant, former Sub-Coordinator for Partnerships and Occupational Health Personnel at the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), Anitasari Kusumawati, who was questioned as a witness today in the alleged corruption case involving extortion in the processing of K3 certificates.

“To be honest, this Ministry of Manpower has the most problems,” said Judge Alfis during the trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday (23/4/2026).

Alfis highlighted that several corruption cases have implicated Kemnaker in close succession.

In this case, former Director General of Placement and Expansion of Employment Opportunities (Binapenta and PKK) at Kemnaker, Suhartono, was sentenced to four years in prison.

“We previously tried the Binapenta case here. Yes? At the same time, there were other cases. They also involved Kemnaker, and now this one is ongoing,” the judge said.

Alfis questioned the reasons behind the numerous cases at Kemnaker.

Despite having a substantial budget.

“This is an issue with the Ministry of Manpower; there are many of them. How can that be? Meanwhile, its budget is quite large in the state budget,” he added.

Furthermore, in 2026, Kemnaker’s budget reaches Rp 5.9 trillion.

However, this budget may be reduced if affected by efficiency measures.

It should be noted that extortion or the collection of non-technical fees is not a new occurrence and has happened for a long time.

In fact, it is referred to as a tradition that has been maintained over time.