KPK Raids Jakarta Immigration Offices in Silmy Karim case

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - KPK investigators raided Central and South Jakarta Immigration Offices, seizing cash and documents tied to a foreign residence permit extortion scheme.Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators searched the Central Jakarta and South Jakarta Immigration Offices on Tuesday, August 4, 2026."The search was also underway today, and it concluded around 6:00 p.m. at the South Jakarta Immigration Office," said Acting Director of Investigations for the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, at the KPK building on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.The raids were conducted in connection with an investigation into alleged extortion during the processing of foreign national residence permits at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, which implicates former Deputy Minister Silmy Karim.In addition to Silmy Karim, seven other officials and staff from the Directorate General of Immigration have been named suspects: former Acting Director General of Immigration Saffar Muhammad Godam; Director of Residence Permits Jaya Saputra; Head of the West Jakarta Class I Special Non-TPI Immigration Office Ronald Arman Abdullah; Head of the Residence Permit Sub-directorate Bagus Bramantyo; Head of the Residence Permit Status Transfer Sub-directorate Tessar Bayu Setyaji; Head of the KITAS Status Transfer Team Juniadi Sri Priambudi; and residence permit staff member Gusti Bernardiansyah.Investigators seized several items of evidence during the searches, including documents, electronic evidence, and Sin$8,500 in foreign currency cash confiscated from the South Jakarta office. "These include documents and electronic evidence suspected of being related to the case under investigation," KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said in a written statement on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.Budi explained that investigators will thoroughly examine all confiscated materials to establish their relevance to the offense, strengthen the evidentiary foundation, and clarify the full structure of the case. "And to identify parties suspected of involvement in the corruption," Budi added.According to the KPK, this case developed from an earlier probe into the Foreign Worker Utilization Plan (RPTKA) at the Ministry of Manpower handled in 2025. "This investigation originated as a follow-up to the case concerning the planned utilization of foreign workers at the Ministry of Manpower," KPK Chairperson Setyo Budiyanto said on Thursday, June 4, 2026.Furthermore, the KPK is following up on findings by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) regarding transaction discrepancies involving 35 Ministry of Immigration and Corrections employees. An analysis by PPATK revealed that illicit funds flowed through 96 accounts between 2019 and 2025, with total unauthorized fees collected reaching Rp357 billion. "The money is suspected to have originated from applicants seeking immigration services," Setyo said.Following an investigation into the scheme, Silmy allegedly extorted money through Jaya Saputra by demanding a cut from the processing of foreign national residence permits. Jaya Saputra admitted instructing Bagus Bramantyo and Tessar Bayu Setyaji to charge "extra fees" on temporary residence permit applications, creating an inflated price for each processed document.Bagus and Tessar subsequently delegated the collection duties to Juniadi Sri Priambudi and Gusti Bernardiansyah. Setyo noted that these payments were not obtained directly from foreign workers, but were instead collected from service agencies, guarantors, sponsors, and third parties facilitating the paperwork.Between 2022 and 2026, funds collected through nominee accounts totaled at least Rp145.5 billion. The money was distributed to individuals within the Directorate General and Ministry of Immigration and Corrections every Friday using coded references, such as "angel" for high-ranking officials. Other codes borrowed concert terminology, such as vocalists, guitarists, backing vocalists, and choreographers, to mark payments to specific recipients.The suspects' actions violated fee structures established under Government Regulation No. 45/2024 on Types and Tariffs of Non-Tax State Revenue Applicable to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. "These official rates cannot be altered or marked up," Setyo said.Annisa Febiola and Intan Setiawanty contributed to this report.Read: Why Indonesia Blocks Nearly 9,000 Departures Abroad This YearClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News