TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Immanuel Ebenezer as a suspect on Friday, August 22, 2025. Shortly after, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto dismissed Immanuel Ebenezer from his position as Deputy Minister of Manpower in his cabinet.Immanuel became a suspect of the anti-corruption agency in a case of extortion involving a company. He was accused of extorting the company to process Occupational Safety and Health (K3) certificates at the Ministry of Manpower. Workers were supposed to pay an official fee of Rp275,000, but were asked to pay up to Rp6 million.The Acting Deputy of Enforcement and Execution at the KPK, Asep Guntur Rahayu, stated that Noel was aware of this extortion practice and demanded a share. "Noel (Immanuel) asked for and received Rp3 billion and a Ducati motorcycle as a reward," said Asep.Indonesian Deputy Ministers' SalaryImmanuel received a salary and allowances as the Deputy Minister of Manpower after being inaugurated in mid-October 2024. The basic salary for a deputy minister is regulated in the Minister of Finance Regulation (Permenkeu) Number 176/PMK.02/2015 concerning Financial Rights and Other Facilities for Deputy Ministers.According to Article 2 of Government Regulation Number 60 of 2000, the basic salary for a state minister is Rp5,040,000 per month. Meanwhile, the information about the basic salary for a deputy minister is not specified in Minister of Finance Regulation Number 176/PMK.02/2015.In addition to the basic salary, deputy ministers receive position allowances. Referring to Article 2, paragraph (1), letter a of Minister of Finance Regulation Number 176/PMK.02/2015, the position allowance for deputy ministers is 85 percent of a minister's position allowance, amounting to Rp13,600,000 per month.Therefore, the deputy minister receives a position allowance of Rp11,566,800 per month. Immanuel also receives a performance allowance of 135 percent of a similar component obtained by a structural official with the highest rank. This is regulated under Article 2, paragraph (1), letter b of the Regulation.Deputy ministers are also provided with state facilities, such as official vehicles, an official residence, health insurance, holiday allowance, and a 13th-month salary. However, if the relevant ministry is unable to provide an official residence, the deputy minister will receive a housing allowance of Rp35,000,000 per month.Immanuel Ebenezer also holds a concurrent position as a commissioner in a State-Owned Enterprise. He is listed as the Commissioner of PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), effective June 16, 2025.PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero)'s 2023 annual report, which was uploaded to the company's website, stated that commissioners receive an honorarium of around Rp128,700,000, a transportation allowance of Rp24,300,000, and a holiday allowance, as well as other insurance.Why Indonesian Government Officials Engage in Corruption?Yanuar Nugroho, the founder of Nalar Institute, stated that corruption thrives not because of salary issues. According to him, Government officials often engage in corruption despite receiving high salaries due to power loopholes."Namely the monopoly of authority, broad discretion, and weak accountability," said Yanuar when contacted on Saturday, August 23, 2025.He believes that stringent supervision, transparency, and legal certainty can actually prevent public officials from engaging in corruption. According to him, President Prabowo Subianto's commitment to anti-corruption, as shown on several occasions, has not been fully implemented. "Ethical standards and conflict of interest are not fenced off from the beginning," said Yanuar.The extortion case involving Immanuel, he said, also indicates that the K3 certification process has not been designed to close rent opportunities. This includes audit mechanisms and supervision of ex-ante and ex-post, both of which are considered insufficiently strong to have a deterrent effect.This philosophy lecturer at Driyarkara School of Philosophy advocates for serious institutional reform. Otherwise, according to him, Prabowo's commitment to eradicating corruption will be trapped in a paradox. "Loud at the discourse level, but fragile at the action level. Just lip service," said the former Deputy II of the Presidential Chief of Staff.House of Commission IX Vice Chair Yahya Zaini believes that state officials should uphold an image of being free of corruption. Moreover, he said, Immanuel Ebenezer held a concurrent position as a Commissioner at PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero).He believes that officials in concurrent positions, such as Immanuel, already have substantial monthly incomes. "They should not need to seek profits from their positions," said Yahya on Thursday, August 21, 2025.He also mentioned President Prabowo Subianto's commitment to combating corruption. Yahya said that Noel's actions are worrying as they tarnish the government's commitment."As a presidential aide, he should be cautious and more firm in his commitment to eradicating corruption," said the Golkar Party politician.Editor's Choice: Prabowo Warns Red and White Cabinet Against Corrupt PracticesClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News