Noel's defense team alleges prosecutors' case built on imagination in K3 case

JAKARTA - Noel’s defense team has argued that the prosecutors’ charges in the alleged K3 certification extortion case are built on ‘imagination’ rather than trial facts.

During the plea hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday (25 May 2026), Noel’s lawyers highlighted that the 846-page prosecution document contained only 12 pages related to him.

‘The core of the indictment is that the defendant, Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, is charged as part of extortion and bribery in the K3 certification process. But in reality, this is all the prosecutor’s imagination,’ the defense counsel stated.

They revealed that non-technical fee collection by PJK3 had been ongoing since 2012 and ceased in September 2024, before Noel was appointed Deputy Minister of Manpower on 22 October 2024.

The legal advisors also accused prosecutors of merging two separate incidents into a single criminal chain.

They stated that allegations of Noel’s involvement in extortion and bribery during K3 certification were never proven in court.

‘In fact, no witness testified during the trial that the defendant, Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, directed the extortion of PJK3,’ the defense counsel said.

In their plea, Noel’s legal team also disputed the prosecution’s claims regarding a requested share of fees and receipt of IDR 70 million.

They argued these allegations were not substantiated throughout the trial.

Additionally, the defense noted that testimony from co-defendant Heri Sutanto did not mention any discussion with Noel about receiving non-technical funds from PJK3.

They also contended that the prosecution merely copied interrogation reports (BAP) without considering facts presented in court.

Noel’s legal team warned that such practices could set a damaging precedent for law enforcement.