KPK Suspects UB Lecturer Received Payments from Silmy Karim During PhD Supervision
The Corruption Eradancy Commission (KPK) has interrogated Romy Hermawan, a lecturer at Universitas Brawijaya (UB), who served as the doctoral supervisor for former Deputy Minister of Imipas, Silmy Karim. The KPK is investigating allegations that Karim provided regular monetary payments to Romy during their academic supervision meetings.
“The witness, RM from Universitas Brawijaya, is being investigated in relation to the suspected flow of funds from the suspect in the immigration case. It is alleged that the suspect provided regular sums of money during study supervision sessions at Universitas Brawijaya. These payments were made to the witness in question,” stated KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to reporters on Wednesday (30/9/2026).
Budi noted that investigators are also tracing the origin of the funds provided by Silmy to Romy. It is suspected that the money was sourced from extortion related to limited stay permits for foreign nationals and other illegal receipts involved in the case against Silmy.
“This pertains to the tracing of money flows. The funds allegedly provided by SK to RM, who is currently being examined, are suspected to have been collected from deposits made within the Directorate General of Immigration environment,” said Budi.
He added, “Whether these deposits are related to services or levies from subordinates, they were collected as ‘tactical funds.’ These funds were allegedly used by SK to provide payments to RM in his capacity as a lecturer at Universitas Brawijaya during the context of the study supervision provided by SK.”
Budi also stated that investigators are still working to determine the exact amount of each payment made by Silmy to Romy. “The total amount is still being calculated because these deposits or gifts were allegedly made routinely during every supervision session,” he concluded.
Romy was interrogated by the KPK yesterday as a witness in the alleged extortion case involving foreign national limited stay permits. Romy was originally scheduled for questioning last week but was unable to attend, leading to the rescheduled session.
In this case, the KPK has named eight individuals as suspects and has seized assets totalling approximately Rp 150 billion. “As of today, the team has seized several assets, recorded at approximately Rp 150 billion, consisting of movable and immovable assets, including vehicles, land, and buildings,” said Acting Director of KPK Investigations, Achmad Taufik Husein, during a press conference on Wednesday (19/8).
The extortion case involving foreign national stay permits is suspected to have occurred since Silmy Karim served as the Director General of Immigration in 2023. The KPK estimates the total funds collected in this case reach Rp 145.5 billion, with suspicions that Silmy received a weekly quota of Rp 100 million.
The eight suspects in this case are:
Former Deputy Minister of Imipas 2025-2026 and Director General of Imipas 2023-2024, Silmy Karim (SK)
Acting Director General of Immigration 2024-2025, Saffar Muhammad Godam (SMG)
Director of Stay Permits and Immigration Status, Directorate General of Immigration, Jaya Saputra (JS)
Head of Sub-directorate for Change of Stay Permit Status, Directorate of Stay Permits and Immigration Status, Tessar Bayu Setyaji (TBS)
Head of Sub-directorate in the Directorate of Stay Permits, Bagus Bramantyo (BGS)
Head of Central Jakarta Immigration Office 2024-2025 and Head of Class I Special Non-TPI West Jakarta Immigration Office 2025-2026, Ronald Arman Abdullah (RAA)
Head of the ITAS Status Change Team, Juniadi Sri Priambudi (JSP)
Staff of the Stay Permit Sub-directorate, Gusti Benar