ORI Affirms That Oversight Continues Despite Chairman Facing Legal Proceedings

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ombudsman (ORI) has affirmed that all public service oversight functions will continue as normal despite suspended Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman Hery Susanto currently facing legal proceedings related to an alleged nickel corruption case. Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman Rahmadi Indra Tektona stated that the ORI’s commitment to clean, fair, and integrity-driven public services will never waver due to the legal issues confronting one of its leaders. “We, the ORI leadership for the 2026-2031 period, wish to extend our apologies for the public discomfort and regret the incident that has occurred,” Rahmadi said during a press conference in Jakarta on Friday. As Ombudsman leadership, he expressed a strong commitment to maintaining public trust in the oversight of public services with full integrity. On that occasion, the Ombudsman leadership explained the situation, conditions, and concerns that have arisen. “However, at the same time, we invite all ORI personnel to stand tall. Indeed, there is a problem, but public services must not be disrupted,” said Maneger. Therefore, he appreciates the ongoing legal process against Hery, but the Ombudsman is still forming an ethics council to improve the organisation by broadly involving the public. Maneger admitted that this is not easy, but he hopes that establishing the ethics panel can restore public trust in the ORI. The decision to form the ethics council was taken during a plenary meeting of the Ombudsman leadership, based on ORI Regulation Number 40 of 2019 on the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for Ombudsman Personnel. The ethics council, consisting of five members, was formed as a concrete commitment by the ORI in responding to the existing dynamics and following up on the legal case faced by Hery.