Ombudsman arrested

Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office arrested chief ombudsman Hery Susanto on April 16, just six days after President Prabowo Subianto swore him into office. (channelnewsasia.com) Prosecutors said Susanto allegedly took 1.5 billion rupiah, about $87,000, from a nickel company identified as TSHI while he served on the ombudsman board from 2021 to 2026. Investigations director Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi said the company was disputing a government fine calculation. (channelnewsasia.com) Nahdi said Susanto and the company arranged for the ombudsman to alter the amount the Forestry Ministry had recommended the company pay. Prosecutors said the alleged offense falls under Indonesia’s bribery provisions and carries a maximum three-year prison sentence. (msn.com) Indonesia’s ombudsman is the state body that handles complaints about public services and investigates maladministration across government agencies. Susanto had said on April 10 that the institution would strengthen oversight of public services and fix internal problems in its structure, staffing and budget. (presidenri.go.id) The arrest lands in the middle of Indonesia’s long-running political fight over corruption in the mining sector, especially nickel. Indonesia holds the world’s largest nickel reserves and has built industrial policy around the metal’s role in electric-vehicle batteries and stainless steel. (channelnewsasia.com) The Attorney General’s Office said the wider case involves alleged corruption in nickel mining governance from 2013 to 2025. State news agency Antara said Susanto was named a suspect in that broader probe on the same day he was detained. (en.antaranews.com) Indonesia’s Ombudsman apologized after the arrest and said the leadership regretted the public unease caused by the case. Tempo reported the institution issued the statement a day after Susanto was detained. (tempo.co) The speed of the fall was stark: on April 10, Susanto stood at the State Palace promising tighter oversight; by April 16, prosecutors were escorting him into detention. (presidenri.go.id, thejakartapost.com)