Indonesian Parliament Approves Ombudsman Replacement Amid Confidentiality

The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) approved the interim replacement (PAW) of an Ombudsman member during a plenary session on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The decision came to replace Herry Susanto, who had recently been appointed as the Chairman of the Ombudsman for the 2026-2031 term. However, the identity of Susanto's successor was not disclosed during the session.

Puan Maharani, the Speaker of the DPR, led the plenary session where the approval was sought from the factions. The decision to appoint a replacement was based on the findings of Commission II of the DPR, which held a meeting on July 20, 2026. A letter regarding the appointment of the PAW member for the Ombudsman was subsequently sent by the leadership of Commission II.

Deputy Speakers of the DPR, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Saan Mustopa, were unable to confirm who the designated replacement would be. Saan Mustopa indicated that the appointment would typically follow the order established during the fit and proper test conducted by Commission II in January 2026. Pegiat pemilu Wahidah Suaib was reportedly ranked first among reserve candidates, followed by Radian Syam. However, Saan stated he would verify the exact order.

Further complicating the process, Commission II Deputy Speakers Bahtra Banong and Zulfikar Arse Sadikin declined to confirm whether Wahidah Suaib had been selected. Bahtra Banong explained that the Ombudsman Law (Law No. 37 of 2008) does not mandate that the replacement must strictly adhere to the ranking from the selection results. "The law does not regulate the order of the next person," he stated.

Herry Susanto was arrested just a week after being sworn in as the Ombudsman Chairman by President Prabowo Subianto on April 10, 2026. The Attorney General's Office has named him a suspect in a corruption case involving the management of nickel mining business in Southeast Sulawesi from 2013 to 2025. He is alleged to have accepted Rp 1.5 billion to influence an Ombudsman report that corrected the Ministry of Forestry's calculation of non-tax state revenue (PNBP) for PT Toshida Indonesia.