Profile of Hery Susanto, the New RI Ombudsman Chief Arrested by the Attorney General Just Six Days into His Tenure
The detention of Hery Susanto, Chairman of the Republic of Indonesia Ombudsman, by the Attorney General has shocked the public. He had only officially assumed leadership of the public service oversight institution for the 2026–2031 period last Friday, 10 April.
News of his detention has immediately drawn widespread attention, given the strategic position of the RI Ombudsman in supervising public services and preventing maladministration practices across various sectors.
Based on previous reports, Hery was seen being led out of the Jampidsus Building of the Attorney General’s Office in South Jakarta. He was wearing a pink detainee vest and was handcuffed while being taken to the detention vehicle.
Hery made no statement to the media. He remained silent as he was escorted to the detention vehicle, adding to public speculation about the case against him.
Here is the complete profile of Hery Susanto, as compiled from the official Ombudsman website on Thursday, 16 April 2026.
Profile of Hery Susanto
Dr. Hery Susanto, S.Pi., M.Si. is the Chairman of the Republic of Indonesia Ombudsman for the 2026–2031 period. He officially took office on Friday, 10 April 2026, just a few days before news of his detention emerged publicly.
Born in Cirebon on 9 April 1975, Hery has a strong educational background in population and environmental studies. He completed his doctoral studies (S3) in 2024 in the Population and Environmental Education programme at Jakarta State University.
Before being entrusted as Chairman of the RI Ombudsman, Hery had previously served as a Member of the Ombudsman for the 2021–2026 period. He was re-elected through the fitness and propriety test by Commission II of the RI House of Representatives in January 2026.
In his career, Hery is known as an active figure in public service oversight. His work focuses on the maritime, investment, and energy sectors, which are strategic areas in national development.
Additionally, he has promoted various efforts to prevent maladministration and improve the quality of public service oversight. One of his initiatives is strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration through the Eptahelix approach to enhance the quality of public services in Indonesia.
Before joining the RI Ombudsman, Hery had extensive experience in public policy and advocacy. He once served as an Expert Staff to a Member of the RI House of Representatives Commission IX during the 2014–2019 period.