Manpower Ministry 'Sultan' Irvian Bobby Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

Irvian Bobby Mahendro, the defendant in a bribery case involving the management of occupational health and safety (K3) certificates who was nicknamed the ‘Sultan’ of the Manpower Ministry, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison by a panel of Corruption Court judges at the Central Jakarta District Court. The judge declared Bobby guilty of receiving illicit non-technical fees from Occupational Safety and Health Service Companies (PJK3) within the Ministry of Manpower. “Sentencing the defendant Irvian Bobby Mahendro to a prison term of 6 years,” said Chief Corruption Judge Nur Sari Baktiana while reading the verdict at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday (4/6). Additionally, the judge ordered Bobby to pay a fine of Rp200 million, subsidiary to 90 days’ imprisonment. Bobby was also ordered to pay restitution of Rp36,043,321,360 (36.04 billion), subsidiary to 3 years’ imprisonment. The judge stated that Irvian Bobby Mahendro was proven to have violated Article 12 letter b in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Eradication Law, in conjunction with Article 20 letter c in conjunction with Article 127 paragraph 1 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code. Furthermore, in its ruling, the panel of judges declared that Bobby and four other defendants in this case were not proven to have received gratuities. The judge stated that the public prosecutor from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) did not present valid, corroborating evidence with probative value to substantiate the claim of gratuity acceptance. The judge noted that because the prosecutor’s demand regarding gratuity acceptance was supported by only a single piece of evidence, a bank statement, and lacked other interrelated and mutually reinforcing evidence, the panel concluded the demand did not meet the minimum standard of proof required in criminal procedural law. Previously, Irvian Bobby Mahendro had been demanded to serve 6 years in prison. Prosecutors were convinced Bobby was guilty of extortion and receiving gratuities in the case. The prosecutors demanded Bobby pay a fine of Rp250 million, subsidiary to 90 days’ imprisonment, and restitution of Rp60,329,415,416 (60 billion), subsidiary to 2 years’ imprisonment. In the same case, the panel of judges also sentenced former Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer, also known as Noel Ebenezer, to 4.5 years in prison and a fine of Rp200 million, subsidiary to 90 days’ imprisonment. Noel was also ordered to pay restitution of Rp3.4 billion. Should his assets be insufficient to cover the remaining restitution within one month after the court’s decision becomes legally binding, it will be replaced with a 1-year prison term. The panel of judges declared Noel legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing corruption. This sentence was lower than the KPK prosecutor’s demand of 5 years in prison and a fine of Rp250 million, subsidiary to 90 days’ imprisonment.