TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsAnalysis: KPK uncovers extortion funding immigration deputy’s lifestyle
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Deputy Immigration and Corrections Minister Silmy Karim (center) walks wearing a detainee vest after questioning at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on June 4, 2026. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
M
edia across the nation have had a field day following the recent arrest of Silmy Karim, 51, the former deputy minister of immigration and corrections, quickly linking his confiscated luxury assets to corruption charges related to an alleged massive scheme extorting expatriates over their stay permits. The scandal has landed a heavy blow on the administration, especially given President Prabowo Subianto’s vow to wage a relentless war against corruptors who undermine his government.
On June 5, a team from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) raided Silmy’s private residence on Jl. Brawijaya in an elite neighborhood in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, seizing an array of high-value assets. The haul included two Porsches, 10 luxury motorcycles, including a Harley-Davidson and a Ducati, premium bicycles, jewelry and a substantial amount of cash in rupiah and various foreign currencies. The confiscated goods illustrate the type of lavish lifestyle that the media portrays as befitting a jet-setter rather than a public servant.
Silmy turned himself in to authorities on June 3 at the KPK headquarters in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, accompanied by four bodyguards who clashed with a crowd of waiting journalists as they cleared a path. Two days prior to his surrender, President Prabowo had removed Silmy from the cabinet, while eight of his staffers had been detained on June 2.
The disgraced official, who holds economics degrees from Trisakti University and the University of Indonesia and also attended several foreign postgraduate institutions, started his public service career in 2007 when he joined a task force overseeing the divestment of military-owned businesses. Afterward, he was retained as a Defense Ministry adviser and later secured leadership roles at several leading state-owned enterprises, including shipbuilder PT PAL, defense manufacturer PT Pindad and steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel.
He was appointed as immigration director general in 2023 by then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. President Prabowo later promoted him to deputy minister at the newly established Immigration and Corrections Ministry.
The crackdown extends far beyond Silmy. The KPK also arrested seven officials with the Immigration Directorate General and nine private individuals over their suspected roles in a syndicate targeting foreigners looking to live and work in Indonesia.
The KPK alleges the scheme involved widespread extortion and gratification related to the processing of the Limited Stay Permit (KITAS) and the Permanent Stay Permit (KITAP) for foreign nationals. According to investigators, the syndicate illicitly collected at least Rp 145.5 billion (US$8.1 million) between 2022 and 2026 and allegedly distributed the funds among the group every Friday, with Silmy pocketing a weekly payout of Rp 100 million.
