Three Public Works Ministry Officials Named Suspects in Rp16 Billion Corruption Case, Minister Responds

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo spoke about the designation of three officials from the Ministry of Public Works as suspects in a Rp16 billion corruption case. Dody described the case as part of the ‘deep state’ within the bureaucracy that President Prabowo Subianto has long signalled. According to Dody, the ‘deep state’ in the Public Works Ministry can be likened to termites in wood. From the outside they look sound, but are fragile when touched. He said the situation represents a serious threat to the bureaucracy, which should be one of the state’s main pillars. ‘The bureaucracy is one of the three main pillars of the state. There is a strong military, high-quality police and intelligence agencies, and an integrity-driven bureaucracy. If one is weak, the country could collapse,’ he said during a media briefing at the Public Works Ministry office in Jakarta on Friday (22 May 2026). He stressed that the reshuffling of officials within the Public Works Ministry is a move to clean up the bureaucracy. ‘If they are not replaced, those people will come back again. The termites will never leave,’ he said. He added that he would entrust the handling of the case entirely to law enforcement agencies and would not intervene. ‘I do not want to be like in the past, where only the lower ranks are sacrificed. If anything is wrong, I push it into the legal process,’ he said. Regarding the searches conducted by investigators at the Public Works Ministry office, Dody said he permitted the office to be examined. He asserted there was no attempt to cover up documents or obstruct the investigation. Although corruption cases have implicated several officials, Dody assured that government priority programmes in the water resources and irrigation sectors would continue. He emphasised that the target of achieving food self-sufficiency by 2026 should not be disrupted. ‘There is no excuse for a programme to stall because of a director-general or official getting into trouble. If the programme stalls, the minister is at fault, and that is me,’ he concluded.