Immanuel Ebenezer complains of unfair sentencing gaps after KPK seeks jail, fines and Rp 1.4b repayment in K3 bribery case.

Former deputy manpower minister Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, better known as Noel Ebenezer, has lashed out at prosecutors’ demand for a five-year jail term over K3 certification graft, sarcastically saying the punishment makes it “better to steal more” given lighter sentences in bigger cases.

Noel Complains Of “Unfair” Comparison With Bigger Cases
After his sentencing demand hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) on May 18, Noel told reporters he “regretted” the prosecution’s request, using the word pointedly to criticise what he sees as disproportionate punishment. He claimed another defendant in a separate case, accused of corrupting Rp 75 billion, received only a six-year demand, while he faces five years over what prosecutors count as Rp 4.435 billion in illicit gains. “Imagine, someone who corrupted Rp 75 billion only gets six years. I’m considered to have taken Rp 3 billion, the demand is five years. Wouldn’t you regret it? I regret it! Better to steal as much as possible, the difference is just one year,” he said outside court.

“I Don’t Understand The Legal Logic”
Noel, who was deputy manpower minister under President Prabowo Subianto, said the KPK prosecutors’ demand felt excessively heavy and claimed he could not follow their legal reasoning. “What kind of law is this? I don’t understand the logic of this way of thinking,” he said. He added that even a short time behind bars feels like “hell,” arguing that four or five years is already severe. Noel insisted that during his tenure he worked for “the people’s interest,” followed the president’s directions and did not cause state losses. “I did not steal a single rupiah of the people’s money,” he said, despite the prosecutors’ detailed breakdown of alleged illicit receipts.

Prosecutors Detail Bribes, Gratuities And Luxury Motorbike
KPK prosecutors have demanded five years’ imprisonment and a Rp 250 million fine (substitute 90 days’ jail) for Noel, along with an order to pay Rp 1.435 billion in compensation within one month of the verdict becoming final. They told the court Noel received Rp 4.435 billion in total: Rp 1 billion in bribes, Rp 3.435 billion in gratuities and a Ducati Scrambler motorcycle worth Rp 600 million from co-defendant Irvian Bobby Mahendro. Prosecutors said Noel has already returned Rp 3 billion to a KPK holding account, but argue that does not erase the crime.

Linked To K3 Certification Corruption At Manpower Ministry
The case centres on alleged bribery and extortion in the handling of occupational safety and health (K3) certification within the Manpower Ministry. Prosecutors accuse Noel and other officials of accepting money and benefits to facilitate or influence K3 certification processes. The scandal is part of a wider KPK probe into irregularities in K3 training and certification services, in which other officials and private sector actors have been implicated. Noel was charged under Article 12(b) and Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 on Corruption Eradication, as amended by Law No. 20/2001, in conjunction with Article 20(c) and Article 127(1) of the new Criminal Code (Law No. 1/2023).

Sentencing Debate Highlights Public Frustration With Graft Justice
Noel’s pointed comparison between his case and larger corruption scandals taps into a broader public perception that Indonesia’s anti-graft justice can be inconsistent, with some high-value cases drawing relatively modest penalties. While his remarks were clearly self-serving, they also underline ongoing debate about proportionality in sentencing and whether high-profile figures face enough deterrent punishment. For Indonesians and Singaporeans, the case illustrates both KPK’s continued focus on corruption within regulatory ministries and the political sensitivity around how different graft cases are treated in court, especially when they involve officials aligned with the current administration.

By railing against the KPK’s five-year jail demand and quipping that it would be “better to steal more,” former deputy minister Immanuel “Noel” Ebenezer has turned his own corruption trial into a critique of Indonesia’s sentencing disparities. For Indonesians and Singaporeans, the outcome will be watched as a signal of how seriously Jakarta’s courts intend to treat mid-level political graft tied to technical certification systems that affect workers’ safety and business fairness alike.

Sources: Batampos (2026) , Jawa Pos (2026)

Keywords: Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, Deputy Manpower Minister, KPK Graft Charges, Rp 4.435 Billion Bribe And Gratuity, Ducati Scrambler Gift, Tipikor Jakarta