Ombudsman Ethics Council: Hery Susanto Committed Serious Ethical Violations
The Ethics Council of the Indonesian Ombudsman (ORI) has determined that the inactive Chairman of the Ombudsman, Hery Susanto, has committed serious violations of the code of ethics and conduct for Ombudsman personnel.
Partono, a member of the Ethics Council, revealed that the violations involved bias, intentionality, repetitive misconduct, and negative impacts on the working unit, the institution, the state, and the public. This decision follows the provisions of Article 36, paragraph (3) of the Ombudsman Regulation Number 40 of 2019 regarding the Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Consequently, the Ethics Council has stated that Hery is liable for severe sanctions, specifically dishonorable discharge, to maintain the honour, independence, and public trust in the ORI. The Council assessed that Hery’s disgraceful actions have seriously damaged the prestige and credibility of the institution, meaning he no longer meets the requirements stipulated under Article 19(i) of the Ombudsman Law.
Evidence presented included findings from the Association of Ombudsman Assistants of the Republic of Indonesia (IAORI). Facts revealed that Hery held repeated private meetings with complainants or related parties regarding public service maladministration reports in private offices or other agreed locations. Furthermore, Hery was accused of intervening in the handling of public reports outside his jurisdiction, suggesting a conflict of interest.
Partono added that Hery performed procedures outside of standard protocols by conducting an unreasonable number of repeated supervisions (between five to 20 times) on specific public reports, allegedly due to conflicts of interest. He was also implicated in conflicts of interest regarding several State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) activities conducted under the name of the Ombudsman RI.
Additional findings from the IAORI indicated that Hery attempted to force the transfer of Ombudsman staff payroll accounts from Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) to Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) without considering urgency, allegedly driven by conflict of interest and exceeding his authority. He also intervened in the selection process for Ombudsman Regional Heads and halted the selection process for Ombudsman Assistant candidates. Furthermore, Hery repeatedly ignored the rights of Ombudsman Assistants by delaying approvals for performance reports, which resulted in delayed or reduced incentives for staff.
Separately, the Attorney General’s Office has named Hery Susanto a suspect in a suspected corruption case involving nickel mining business governance between 2013 and 2025. The Director of Investigation at the Attorney General’s Office for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that Hery allegedly committed these crimes while serving as a member of the Ombudsman for the 2021-2026 period.
In this case, Hery is suspected of receiving a bribe worth IDR 1.5 billion from PT TSHI. The issue arose when PT TSHI faced problems regarding the calculation of non-tax state revenue (PNBP) by the Ministry of Forestry. PT TSHI allegedly sought a resolution through collusion with Hery Susanto in his capacity as a Commissioner of the Ombudsman at the time, receiving funds from the Director of PT TSHI.