JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police have detained former youth and sports minister Roy Suryo and health activist Tifauzia ‘Tifa’ Tyassuma over alleged defamation linked to the case of former president Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s contested university diploma, marking a major escalation in the long-running controversy.
Both Roy and Tifa, who are suspects in the case concerning their allegations of the falsity of Jokowi’s diploma, were apprehended on Friday (June 19) morning in their respective residences, according to Roy’s lawyer Ahmad Khozinudin.
The Jakarta Police’s General Crimes Directorate (Ditreskrimum) said Roy and Tifa’s arrest was part of standard procedure ahead of the second stage of their investigation, which is escalating the case to the Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office.
“This measure is part of the process of handing over suspects and evidence [to prosecutors] after our police dossiers have been declared complete,” investigation director Sr Comr Iman Imanuddin told a press conference on Friday, Antara reported.
Iman said the procedure was aimed at preventing administrative delays in the criminal justice process and completing final procedural steps such as health checks and verification of evidence.
Roy, who served in the administration of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Tifa were additionally accused of manipulating electronic documents to support their claims that Jokowi’s diploma was fake.
Their arrests marked an escalation in a controversy that has persisted since 2019, when claims regarding the authenticity of Jokowi’s academic credentials first circulated on social media.
The dispute later developed into a series of legal proceedings, including a civil lawsuit in 2022 and subsequent investigations and court filings in 2025 involving multiple parties.
The National Police declared the diploma authentic in May 2025 and closed an earlier investigation into allegations of forgery. A subsequent case review was held in July 2025, during which critics including Roy Suryo reiterated their objections to the police findings.
Roy and Tifa’s lawyer Refly Harun criticised Friday’s detention and said they would request a suspension, arguing that his client had complied with all summonses and reporting requirements.
“What’s the point of detaining them? The transfer of the case to the Prosecutor’s Office is only Monday, so to detain them is excessive,” Refly was quoted as saying by Antara on Friday.
In addition to Roy and Tifa, the police had previously named six other individuals as suspects in the defamation case under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years.
The police later dropped charges against three of them, Eggi Sudjana, Damai Hari Lubis and Rismon Sianipar, following mediation. – The Jakarta Post/ANN
