Minister of Manpower Yassierli has disclosed the identities of three Manpower ministry officials named as suspects in a corruption case involving foreign worker (TKA) permit issuance. 

Two of the suspects are retired officials, while the third, Haryanto, remains an active staff member currently serving as the Ministry’s Expert Staff for International Affairs.

Yassierli cited that the joint investigation between the ministry’s Inspectorate General and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) began in late 2024 following a public report submitted to the KPK in July of that year.

"The outcome of our internal investigation led to the removal of those suspected of involvement between February and March 2025. As a result, we completely overhauled the entire team within the directorate responsible for foreign worker permits," Yassierli told a press conference on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

He added that the collaborative probe was designed to minimize disruption to public services. The case has since escalated to the investigation stage, with eight individuals formally named as suspects. Haryanto, one of the suspects, previously held the position of Director General for Job Placement and Employment Expansion until March 2025. Yassierli confirmed that Haryanto has undergone an ethics hearing and no longer has any involvement in the foreign worker permit process.

To restore integrity, the ministry replaced two key directorate heads in February 2025: the Directorate of Special Employment Placement and the Directorate of Foreign Worker Utilization Control. Yassierli admitted that the permit system had been vulnerable to corruption due to physical meetings between brokers and ministry personnel.

“That's why in March 2025, the permit services slowed down briefly − because the entire team was replaced. Now, the system is running smoothly again,” he noted.

Yassierli reaffirmed his commitment to supporting law enforcement efforts and claimed to have restructured several high-risk business processes, especially those related to the issuance of foreign worker permits. He also emphasized that future staffing rotations within the ministry will be based on tenure and integrity, covering positions from sub-coordinators up to the highest echelons.

"Myself and the entire leadership are committed to building a more accountable and integrity-based bureaucracy," he said.

The KPK conducted a two-hour search at the Ministry of Manpower’s headquarters on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, seizing evidence put inside two black bags, a large red plastic bag, and a bundle wrapped in white cloth. The raid took place simultaneously with a press conference led by the Minister concerning a circular on the prohibition of withholding academic diplomas.

This sweeping reform at the Manpower ministry underscores the government’s renewed push for transparency and accountability, especially in sensitive areas like foreign labor management.