Jakarta. Adhi Kismanto, an expert staff member at the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry, has been named a suspect in a case involving the alleged abuse of power related to blocking online gambling websites.

Wira Satya Triputra, Director of the General Criminal Investigation Unit of the Jakarta Metro Police, confirmed that Kismanto is one of nine government employees arrested in a major crackdown on illegal online gambling networks allegedly facilitated by government officials. “I want to clarify that nine employees from the Communications Ministry have been arrested, and one of them is an expert staff member,” Wira said during a press conference on Monday.

Kismanto had previously participated in a recruitment process for technical support staff in 2023 to assist with the ministry’s system for blocking illegal online content. However, he failed to pass the selection process. Despite this, he continued to work for the ministry, allegedly under a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that allowed him to bypass the usual employment requirements.

“There was a new SOP implemented. This will be a subject of further investigation to uncover the processes behind this decision,” Wira added.

Police are continuing to investigate the roles of all suspects, including the origins of the new SOP that allowed Kismanto to remain employed despite failing the official selection process. “We will continue to investigate to uncover the entire network and the mechanisms involved in this online gambling case involving Communications Ministry employees,” Wira said.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the Jakarta Police have named 28 individuals as suspects in the case, including Alwin Jabarti Kiemas and former state-owned enterprise (SOE) commissioner Zulkarnaen Apriliantony, also known as Tony Tomang. A total of 24 individuals have been arrested, while four others remain at large, with authorities actively searching for them. Police have seized cash and assets valued at Rp 167.8 billion ($10.7 million) as part of the investigation.

The police revealed that several Communications Ministry employees acted as facilitators for online gambling sites, ensuring these websites were not blocked. These employees, identified by the initials DI, FD, SA, YR, YP, RP, AP, RD, and RR, allegedly received Rp 8.5 million ($545) per site for their services, which included facilitating the operation of approximately 1,000 gambling websites.

Other suspects include civilians involved in various roles, such as operating gambling websites and acting as bookies. Among the fugitives are four individuals—A, BN, HE, and J—who are believed to be running or managing online gambling websites.

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