Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) carried out a sting operation at the Immigration office that ended with the arrest of 8 officials as suspects.
One of them is Silmy Karim, Deputy Minister of Immigration and Correctional Affairs. On Wednesday night, June 3, 2026, Silmy turned himself in at the KPK building around 10:30 p.m. and was questioned for 10 hours.
After the questioning, Silmy left the investigation room on Thursday morning at 8:36 a.m. wearing an orange detention vest and handcuffs.
According to KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo, the charges against Silmy and the other 7 suspects are Article 12 letter e of Indonesia’s Law No. 31 of 1999 as amended by Law No. 20/2001 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the Criminal Code.
“The article used is Article 12e related to alleged corruption in the form of extortion in immigration document processing, and also layered with Article 12B about receiving other benefits or gratuities,” Budi explained.
Hundreds of Billions from Corruption
Budi Prasetyo stated that Silmy Karim’s detention is linked to irregularities in handling residence permits for foreign nationals in Indonesia. According to Budi, the total value of the extortion reached hundreds of billions of rupiah.
“We will announce the exact number in a press conference, but it reaches hundreds of billions,” said Budi Prasetyo to the media at the KPK building in Jakarta, Thursday (June 4, 2026).
Besides Silmy, there are 7 other immigration officials detained by the KPK in the same case:
1. Saffar Muhammad Godam (Acting Director General of Immigration 2024–2025)
2. Jaya Saputra (Head of West Java Regional Office of Immigration, previously Director of Residence Permits and Immigration Status)
3. Tessar Bayu Setyaji (Head of Sub‑Directorate for Change of Residence Permit Status at the Directorate of Residence Permits and Immigration Status)
4. Bagus Bramantyo (Head of Sub‑Directorate at the Directorate of Residence Permits)
5. Ronald Arman Abdullah (Head of Central Jakarta Immigration Office 2024–2025 and Head of West Jakarta Immigration Office 2025–2026)
6. Juniadi Sri Priambudi (Head of ITAS Status Change Team)
7. Gusti Benardiansyah (Staff at Sub‑Directorate of Residence Permits)
Immediately Suspended
Silmy Karim and the seven other officials were detained after the KPK conducted a two‑day sting operation on June 2 and 3, 2026, at immigration offices in Jakarta, West Java, and Bali.
After being officially named suspects, Silmy Karim and the seven officials were immediately suspended by the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Affairs.
According to Minister of Immigration and Correctional Affairs, Agus Andrianto, this step is a sanction for the indiscipline of the suspects.
“As part of internal discipline enforcement, the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Affairs has suspended the officials involved from their positions,” Agus explained in his written statement on Thursday (June 4).
“This step is taken to ensure the legal process runs smoothly and to maintain the continuity of public service functions,” he added.
This case highlights the governance of immigration services, especially in the process of issuing documents for foreign nationals. As of this report, the KPK is still conducting examinations and expanding the investigation into the alleged corruption and extortion at immigration offices.
Sources : AntaraNews, Kompas
Foto: via AntaraNews/Dhemas Reviyanto
