The Case of Nickel Mining Governance Corruption Involving the Ombudsman Chairman
Ombudsman of Indonesia Chairman Hery Susanto has been designated as a suspect in a corruption case concerning the governance of nickel mining in Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) from 2013 to 2025.
Director of Investigation at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that the case began when PT TSHI disagreed with the non-tax state revenue (PNBP) calculations set by the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut).
The owner of PT TSHI, with initials LD, who objected to paying the PNBP, then met with Hery as a Commissioner of the Ombudsman for the 2021-2026 period.
“HS, who served as a Commissioner of the Ombudsman from 2021 to 2026, agreed to assist by conducting an examination of the Ministry of Forestry, ostensibly starting from a public complaint,” he explained to reporters on Thursday (16/4).
Syarief said that subsequently, a meeting took place between Hery and LO, as an intermediary for PT TSHI, in April 2025 at the Ombudsman Office and the Borobudur Hotel.
In that meeting, LO and the Director of PT TSHI with initials LKM asked Hery to issue a letter containing findings of administrative errors in the PNBP calculation process for the Borrow-Use Permit for Forest Areas from the Ministry of Forestry.
“With the agreement that Mr. HS would receive money amounting to Rp1.5 billion,” he stated.
Subsequently, Hery examined the Ministry of Forestry and arranged for the fine imposition against PT TSHI to appear erroneous. As a result, the Ombudsman corrected it with an order for PT TSHI to calculate its own payment obligations to the state.
After the examination of the Ministry of Forestry was completed, Hery instructed LKM to deliver the draft Ombudsman Examination Result Report (LHP) to LO.
Hery also instructed LKM to convey the message that the examination outcome would meet LO’s expectations.
“And to intervene in the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia to benefit PT TSHI,” he added.
For his actions, Hery is charged under Articles 12 letter a, 12 letter b, Article 5, and Article 606 of the Criminal Code. He was immediately detained at the Salemba Detention Centre, branch of the South Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office, for the next 20 days.