One by One, Accusers of Jokowi's Forged Diploma Withdraw Amid Legal Process

Several accusers in the alleged forged diploma case against Indonesia’s seventh President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, are now backing down one by one and withdrawing their statements.

Following Eggi Sudjana, it is now the turn of digital forensics expert Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar to reverse his position on statements concerning Jokowi’s diploma.

Eggi and Rismon were two of a total of eight individuals who underwent legal proceedings as suspects in the alleged defamation case related to claims of Jokowi’s forged diploma at the Jakarta Metro Police.

Besides these two, six other individuals were named: Kurnia Tri Rohyani, Damai Hari Lubis, Rustam Effendi, Muhammad Rizal Fadillah, Roy Suryo, and Tifauziah Tyassuma, also known as Dr Tifa.

Beginning of the forged diploma case

Legal proceedings against them have been ongoing for approximately a year since Jokowi filed a report on 30 April 2025. The Jakarta Metro Police subsequently designated them as suspects on 7 November 2025, dividing them into two clusters.

The first cluster consists of five suspects: Eggi Sudjana, Kurnia Tri Rohyani, Damai Hari Lubis, Rustam Effendi and Muhammad Rizal Fadillah. They were charged under Article 310 of the Criminal Code and/or Article 311 and/or Article 160 and/or Article 27a read in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph 4 and/or Article 28 paragraph 2 read in conjunction with Article 45a paragraph 2 of the Information Technology Law.

The second cluster consists of three suspects: Roy Suryo, Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar and Tifauziah Tyassuma, also known as Dr Tifa. They were charged under Article 310 of the Criminal Code and/or Article 311 and/or Article 32 paragraph 1 read in conjunction with Article 48 paragraph 1 and/or Article 35 read in conjunction with Article 51 paragraph 1 and/or Article 27a read in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph 4 and/or Article 28 paragraph 2 read in conjunction with Article 45a paragraph 2 of the Information Technology Law.

The cluster division was based on the role of each suspect. For instance, the first cluster was charged under Article 310 of the Criminal Code concerning defamation.

Meanwhile, the second cluster faced charges not only for defamation but also under Article 32 paragraph 1 of the Information Technology Law regarding prohibition of illegal access to other people’s electronic documents.

However, several individuals in the case have recently begun withdrawing and filing for restorative justice.

Eggi and Damai pursue restorative justice

The first application for restorative justice was submitted by Eggi Sudjana and Damai Hari Lubis on 12 January 2026, two months after their designation as suspects.

Several days earlier, Eggi and Damai had visited Jokowi’s residence in Sumber, Solo, Central Java, accompanied by their legal counsel, Elida Netty.

Four days after submitting their restorative justice files, specifically on 15 January, the Jakarta Metro Police officially halted investigations against Eggi and Damai Hari Budi. The investigation stoppage was based on results of a special case review conducted on 14 January 2026.

“It is correct that investigators have issued a termination of investigation notice against two suspects, namely ES and DHL. The investigation stoppage was conducted in accordance with the law based on restorative justice,” said Jakarta Metro Police Public Relations Chief Kombes Pol Budi Hermanto to journalists on Thursday (15 January).

Rismon follows with an apology

After Eggi and Damai, it is now Rismon’s turn to formally file for restorative justice or the withdrawal of his designation as a suspect.

However, in a statement on Wednesday (11 March), the Jakarta Metro Police Criminal Investigation Director Kombes Iman Imanuddin did not disclose the official date of Rismon’s restorative justice application.

“So a few days ago or about a week ago, the individual in question, RHS, together with his lawyer, submitted a request for restorative justice facilitation to the investigator,” said Iman when contacted on Wednesday (11 March).

Like Eggi and Damai, Rismon also visited Jokowi’s residence in Sumber. After the visit, he submitted an apology to Jokowi.

“Of course I apologise to the public, especially to the relevant parties such as Mr Joko Widodo,” said Rismon following the meeting.

He also withdrew his statements regarding the alleged forged diploma and confirmed that Jokowi’s diploma was entirely authentic based on further research findings.

“There was no digital manipulation as I concluded in the Jokowi’s White Paper book. What does that mean? Its authenticity is preserved,” said Rismon.

However, the Jakarta Metro Police has not yet announced the continuation of Rismon’s status following his restorative justice application and meeting with Jokowi.

Roy Suryo speaks out

Telematic expert Roy Suryo did not rule out the possibility of following in the footsteps of his colleagues who have one by one reversed their positions. He claimed to have entrusted the decision regarding the restorative justice option to his legal counsel.

Roy even claimed he still possesses a “trump card” concerning the alleged forged diploma case against Jokowi that currently ensnares him. He stressed that he and Tifauzia Tyassuma, or Dr Tifa, would continue pursuing the diploma case.

“I also spoke with Dr Tifa directly yesterday, even via video call, and we said we would not back down even 0.1 per cent,” he said at the Jakarta Metro Police on Thursday (12 March).