Suspects in Jokowi Diploma Case Part Ways: Rismon Seeks Restorative Justice While Roy and Tifa Stand Firm
JAKARTA — Three suspects in the electronic document manipulation case involving allegations of forged credentials for President Joko Widodo have split their position.
One suspect, Rismon Sianipar, has recently filed a request for restorative justice, or case resolution through mediation. Meanwhile, the two other suspects, Roy Suryo and Tifauzia Tyassuma (Dr Tifa), remain steadfast in their stance.
The Director of General Criminal Investigation at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Brigadier General Iman Imanudin, stated that Rismon filed the restorative justice request last week. The police are currently processing the request in accordance with applicable regulations.
“So a few days ago RHS [Rismon] and his legal counsel submitted a request for restorative justice facilitation to the investigators,” Iman said when met at the Jakarta Metro Police headquarters on Wednesday (11 March 2026).
Separately, Rismon’s legal representative, Jahmada Girsang, acknowledged that his client had submitted a letter to investigators regarding Article 79 of Law No. 20 of 2025 concerning the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). This article governs the mechanism of restorative justice.
“First, of course, the letter submission by Rismon in his position as a suspect, which he submitted. It is then processed and an agreement follows in accordance with Article 79 of the new KUHAP, which has its conditions,” Jahmada explained when met separately on Wednesday.
According to Rismon, with the progression of his research, he has reached a different conclusion from what was previously presented in the book Jokowi’s White Paper. In the book authored by Rismon, Roy Suryo, and Dr Tifa, all three were confident that Jokowi’s diploma was 99.9 per cent fraudulent.
“So because it is ongoing and continuous, I reported it to the investigators. My findings could be contrary to the conclusions I mentioned in Jokowi’s White Paper,” Rismon explained.
However, Rismon did not disclose the results of his new findings. He only stated that his findings were based on three variables, including translation, rotation, and lighting in digital image processing.
Rismon emphasised that his latest research was independent and not influenced by any other party, including Roy Suryo or Dr Tifa.
“And again, this is not about liking or disliking, hating or not hating, this is about scientific work. And a researcher or scientific worker must be based on their findings, not because I do not like someone,” he said.
Responding to Rismon’s decision, Roy Suryo maintained his position. Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa continue to believe that Jokowi’s diploma is fraudulent.