Indonesia arrests chief ombudsman days after appointment in bribery case

Indonesia’s anti-corruption credibility suffered a sharp blow when prosecutors arrested Hery Susanto, the newly sworn chief ombudsman, only six days after President Prabowo Subianto appointed him to lead the country’s public-service watchdog.

Susanto was inaugurated at the State Palace in Jakarta on April 10 as chairperson of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia for the 2026-2031 term, one of nine members named under Presidential Decree No. 20/P of 2026. By April 16, the Attorney General’s Office had detained him over allegations that he took a Rp1.5 billion bribe, or about S$111,160, in a nickel-related case tied to Southeast Sulawesi.

The timing is politically damaging. The Ombudsman is an independent state institution created under Law No. 37 of 2008 to supervise public-service administration and prevent maladministration across Indonesia. Its own mandate stresses independence from other state institutions and freedom from outside interference. Susanto’s arrest, after an oath-taking ceremony that included a pledge not to accept any form of gratification, cuts directly against the institution’s central purpose.

Investigators say the case involves nickel-mining governance between 2013 and 2025 and a recommendation letter linked to the calculation of non-tax state revenue, or PNBP. Authorities allege Susanto used his position to influence the amount of a fine recommended by the Forestry Ministry, replacing the ministry’s calculation with one based on his own assessment.

Local reporting identified the company involved as Toshida Indonesia, known as TSHI. One report said the miner operated in a 124,500-hectare forest area in Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, and had previously been hit with an administrative fine of Rp1.2 trillion for illegal use of forest land. The alleged conduct put one of Indonesia’s most strategically important industries under renewed scrutiny, as nickel has become central to the battery and electric-vehicle supply chain.

The case could carry a prison sentence of up to three years if Susanto is convicted under Indonesia’s bribery rules. More broadly, it poses a severe test of whether the country’s anti-graft architecture can police itself, or whether elite appointments still hinge on vetting that is too weak to catch conflicts before they become national scandals.