Prabowo Fires Deputy Manpower Minister Ebenezer After Graft Arrest
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto has formally dismissed Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer after the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, named him a suspect in a bribery case involving occupational health and safety certification.
State Secretary Minister Prasetya Hadi announced the decision in Jakarta on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, hours after KPK’s operation. “The President has just signed a Presidential Decree dismissing Mr. Immanuel Ebenezer from his position as Deputy Minister of Manpower,” Prasetya said.
He emphasized that Prabowo would leave the legal process entirely to KPK and urged the case to be a warning for the cabinet. “We hand over the process fully to the KPK, and we hope this serves as a lesson, particularly for members of the Merah Putih Cabinet and all government officials, to work hard in eradicating corruption,” he added.
Ebenezer’s Apology and Plea
After being named a suspect, Ebenezer, who is also known as Noel, delivered a public apology. “First, I want to apologize to President Prabowo, to my wife and children,” he said with a heavy voice.
He denied the allegation of extortion and insisted he was not caught in a sting. “I was not arrested in the sting operation, and second, my case is not extortion. I want to clarify so that the public narrative does not unfairly burden me,” he argued.
Despite the denial, he expressed hope for clemency. “I hope I can receive amnesty from President Prabowo,” he said.
KPK’s Findings
KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto confirmed that Ebenezer was among 11 suspects in the case, which involved officials and intermediaries at private certification companies. Other names included Subhan, Anitasari Kusumawati, Fahrurozi, Hery Sutanto, Sekarsari Kartika Putri, Supriadi, Temurila, and Miki Mahfud from PT KEM Indonesia.
According to Setyo, the scheme inflated the official cost of occupational safety certification from Rp275,000 ($17) to as much as Rp6 million ($376). “Workers were forced to pay higher fees because of extortion through delays and refusals of applications unless they paid more,” he said.
KPK estimated the illicit funds reached Rp81 billion ($5.1 million). Of that, one suspect, Irvian, allegedly received Rp69 billion between 2019 and 2024 for personal spending, property, and cash deposits. Another, Gerry, reportedly collected Rp3 billion between 2020 and 2025, while Subhan obtained Rp3.5 billion from about 80 companies, and Anitasari Kusumawati allegedly pocketed Rp5.5 billion between 2021 and 2024.
Ebenezer was formally declared a suspect following the sting on Wednesday night, Aug. 20, 2025. He appeared in the KPK’s headquarters wearing the agency’s orange detainee vest alongside other suspects but continued to deny wrongdoing.