Indonesia immigration ministry's integrity score 'alert,' says anti-graft body
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) reported that the Ministry of Immigration and Law's integrity score is in the "alert" category.
- The KPK urged the ministry to make measurable improvements, citing a recent corruption case involving foreign resident permits.
- The ministry's integrity score has declined over the past two years, raising concerns about governance and anti-corruption culture.
Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has flagged the Ministry of Immigration and Law's integrity score as being in the "alert" category, urging the institution to implement measurable improvements. This assessment follows a recent corruption case involving the processing of foreign national stay permits within the Directorate General of Immigration.
In the SPI 2025, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights obtained a score of 75.96 and entered the alert category. At the same time, the component assessment of expert respondents was only at 67.
Budi Prasetyo, a spokesperson for the KPK, stated that the ministry received an SPI score of 75.96 in 2025, placing it in the alert category. Notably, the score for expert respondents was even lower, at 67. "The SPI obtained by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights shows serious notes regarding governance, supervision, and perceptions of integrity," Prasetyo said in a written statement on Monday.
This score represents a decline from previous years. In 2023, when the Directorate General of Immigration was part of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, it achieved an integrity score of 82.85. This figure dropped to 78.07 in 2024. The KPK emphasized that SPI results should be analyzed not just by the final score but also by various risk indicators that emerge.
The SPI obtained by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights shows serious notes regarding governance, supervision, and perceptions of integrity.
The KPK has called on the Ministry of Immigration and Law to strengthen internal oversight, manage gratuities and conflicts of interest, and ensure public services are delivered with integrity, transparency, and accountability. Prasetyo highlighted the strategic importance of immigration and correctional services, as they directly interact with the public and foreign nationals, carrying a significant risk of power abuse that requires serious prevention.
The KPK views the SPI results cannot be read solely from the final score, but from various risk indicators that emerge within it.
Eight individuals have been named suspects in a bribery case within the immigration sector. These include Deputy Minister of Immigration and Law Silmy Karim, former Acting Director General of Immigration Saffar Muhammad Godam, and several other high-ranking officials. The KPK indicated that the investigation is an expansion of a previous case at the Ministry of Manpower.
The KPK has set eight people as suspects for extortion in the immigration environment.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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