Public Works Minister reveals alleged signature forgery on internal ministry documents

Jakarta — Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo has disclosed allegations of forgery of his signature on internal Ministry of Public Works documents. The case has been referred to the ministry’s legal bureau for further processing. Dody said the circulating documents are authentic ministry documents, but the signatures appearing on them are not his, and the document numbers differ from the official archives held by the ministry. In a media briefing at the Ministry of Public Works office in Central Jakarta on Friday, 22 May 2026, he expressed sadness that forgery allegations occurred in a ministry that manages a large annual budget. ‘That is indeed a sad fact,’ he said. He added he was struck by such events in the Ministry of Public Works. ‘Actually I am struck, humiliated, and deeply saddened,’ he said. According to Dody, the forgery allegations warrant serious attention because they relate to administrative security within the ministry. He feared similar practices could also occur with documents of other officials, asking, ‘If the signature of the Minister of Public Works can be forged, then what about the signatures of others—Directors General, the Secretary General, and others?’ He confirmed the case has been reported and is being handled by the legal bureau. He did not provide details about which documents were allegedly forged or who was involved. Separately, Dody referenced President Prabowo Subianto’s statements about the existence of a ‘deep state’ in the bureaucracy. He said such conditions do exist in the Ministry of Public Works and are among the problems being addressed. ‘What the President has long spoken of—the deep state in the Ministry of Public Works—yes, it exists,’ he said. Dody likened the presence of the ‘deep state’ in the ministry to termites gnawing at wood from within. He said the damage from such practices could undermine the bureaucracy. ‘The deep state is like termites,’ he said. ‘There are strong soldiers, there are quality police and intelligence, and don’t forget the most important pillar, an administration with integrity, which is also strong. If one of these pillars is weak, the country would surely collapse,’ he explained.