Noel Submits to Judges in K3 Certification Extortion Case

Deputy Labour Minister Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, known as Noel, has submitted to the court’s judgment in an alleged extortion case concerning the management of Occupational Safety and Health (K3) certificates.

“I respect the panel of judges’ authority to assess based on trial facts, evidence, and legal conviction,” Noel said while delivering his defense statement at the Corruption Crimes Court (Tipikor) in Central Jakarta District Court on Monday, 25 May 2026.

He respects the legal process and the role of prosecutors, acknowledging that his difficult childhood, activism, service to workers, and family circumstances cannot override legal judgment.

However, Noel believes justice should not view an incident rigidly but also consider the person before the judges, their life journey, values, service, remorse, family, and potential for rehabilitation.

“I request a fair, proportionate, and humane ruling—one that upholds the law while also allowing for humanity, remorse, and hope for change,” he added.

Thus, he urged the judges not to see him solely in the context of the corruption charge but also through the long path that shaped him.

This path includes his childhood as a fatherless child, being raised by a single mother of eight, working odd jobs to afford school, student activism alongside the public, and serving as an official who sought to listen to workers on the ground.

“Justice must uphold the law while still seeing people as human beings,” Noel said.

Previously, prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence, a fine of Rp250 million or 90 days in prison if unpaid, and Rp4.43 billion in restitution or two years in prison if unpaid.

In the alleged extortion case involving K3 certificate processing within the Ministry of Manpower and gratuities during 2024-2025, he was charged with extorting Rp6.52 billion from certification applicants and accepting gratuities.