Former Ombudsman chief charged with taking Rp4.85 billion in bribes
Prosecutors said the bribes were used to steer an Ombudsman report to favor nickel firms in licensing and PNBP disputes.
Former Ombudsman RI chairman Hery Susanto faced his first hearing at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday, charged with taking a total of Rp4.85 billion in bribes in a nickel mining governance case. Prosecutors said the bribes came as cash and a house in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta. According to the indictment, the payments were given so Hery would shape an Ombudsman Investigation Result Report to label the determination of forest-area use PNBP obligations for PT Thosida Indonesia and PT Dinamika Sejahtera Mandiri as maladministration. The indictment also cited handling of the IUP of PT Mitra Kumala Energi and PT Gold Telen River. In court, prosecutors said Hery used several aliases on WhatsApp, including “John Lennon 07,” while communicating about the case.