ORI Selection Panel Unaware of Hery Susanto's Criminal Record
Jakarta, ANTA - The Selection Panel for the Ombudsman RI (ORI) Commissioners for the 2026-2031 period says it did not know that Hery Susanto, the chairman of ORI inactiv, had a criminal record. The Chair of the ORI 2026-2031 Selection Panel, Prof. Erwan Agus Purwanto, said the five members had worked collectively in a collegial manner throughout the screening process for the ORI member candidates.
‘So, if I say I did not see it, perhaps Mr Munafrizal (the Deputy Chair of the Panel) saw it or someone else did, but it is truly the case that all five did not see it and then conveyed it as a concern to be considered in the decision-making process regarding the person in question,’ Prof. Erwan said at the open briefing requested by the Ombudsman RI’s Ethics Council in Jakarta on Friday.
He said that regarding Hery’s track record, the panel had sought information from the public and stakeholders, such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Centre (PPATK), and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
The information, he continued, was then clarified by panel members before deciding to select Hery as a candidate. It was noted that Hery also received a recommendation from the previous period’s ORI chair.
In addition to responses from the public and background notes from competent agencies, the panel also actively conducted print and online media investigations.
‘The information we obtained from various sources also shows no indication that Hery Susanto has any criminal cases,’ he said.
Although no evidence of legal violations was found, Erwan admitted there were some reports about Hery’s character or personality. He said that according to public reports, Hery is characterised as having a harsh personality and being quick to anger with subordinates within the office.
‘So the concerns were more about his personality, not about integrity,’ Erwan added.
Previously, the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) named Hery Susanto as a suspect in a case of alleged corruption involving the management of nickel mining operations from 2013-2025. Director of Investigations for the Office of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi said Hery engaged in the alleged offence while serving as a member of the Ombudsman RI during the 2021-2026 period.
‘The designation of the suspect was made after investigators obtained sufficient evidence through a series of investigations, searches, and other actions,’ he told the Jampidsus building of Kejagung, Jakarta, on Thursday (16/4).
In the case, Hery is alleged to have received bribes amounting to Rp1.5 billion from PT TSHI, arising from issues with the calculation of state revenue not related to tax (PNBP) by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Kemenhut). PT TSHI sought a way out through collusion with Hery Susanto as a Commissioner of the Ombudsman RI at the time. To implement this, he received a sum of money from LKM, who was the director of PT TSHI.