Bobby Nasution Cases and Political Dynasty

THE name of Bobby Nasution came up in trials of two corruption cases. But the authorities have never questioned him. We are right to be suspicious: why has the Governor of North Sumatra and son-in-law of former president Joko Widodo remained untouched by the law?

In the infrastructure bribery trial, the panel of judges ordered the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to present Bobby during the trial with Topan Ginting, former Head of the North Sumatra Public Works and Spatial Planning Office, the defendant. The KPK detained this trusted aide of Bobby in a sting operation because he was alleged to have taken bribes from two private contractors.

During the trial, it was revealed that Bobby, together with Topan and Muryanto Amin, a former expert staffer who is now the Rector of the University of North Sumatra, adjusted the budget because the road construction project was not included in the 2025 North Sumatra Regional Budget. The KPK could examine this alleged manipulation and use it as a starting point to investigate the role of Bobby.

After all, this change to the budget went ahead without the knowledge of the North Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council. Yet, investigators’ attempts to question Governor Bobby have consistently been obstructed by the requirement for approval from the KPK leadership. And KPK investigators can only question mid-level staff, such as section heads. Meanwhile, Muryanto has already evaded two summons for examination.

The weakening of the KPK was predictable. Since its authority was reduced through a hasty revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission Law in 2019, the anti-graft commission has been toothless. It lost its independence because it is now an extension of the executive, and its investigators are now civil servants.

The mastermind behind the KPK’s destruction is Jokowi. It was he who paved the way for Firli Bahuri, a policeman with a problematic track record, to become KPK Chief. Firli was later named a suspect in a separate case involving gratification and extortion.

Jokowi is guilty of another transgression: damaging democracy by perpetuating his political dynasty. He supported his son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, in his promotion from mayor of Solo to vice president. He also intervened in the political career of Bobby Nasution by lobbying the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to nominate his son-in-law in the 2020 Medan mayoral election. Five years later, Jokowi’s aides lobbied Edy Rahmayadi, the incumbent governor, not to oppose Bobby in the North Sumatra gubernatorial election.

What happened in North Sumatra is proof that a political dynasty is highly likely to lead to nepotism and corruption. In order to build and retain power, Bobby appointed members of his campaign team to the bureaucracy, with no regard for their level of competence.

Political dynasties, according to Inge Amundsen in Political Corruption: An Introduction to the Issues, often operate within a patronage system: positions and public resources are treated as family assets used for personal gain or to benefit cronies.

This is what is actually happening in Indonesia. Leaders affiliated with political dynasties seldom face prosecution. Weak accountability mechanisms provide an opportunity, and dynasties are able to influence the legal process. In the case that Bobby is embroiled in, he remains protected by the remnants of Jokowi’s power network.

Another analysis suggests that the corruption case in North Sumatra will lead to the uncovering of more serious offences. Like a house of cards, the road project bribery case is expected to drag Bobby into other cases, including the Medan Block bribery case—the name given to a mining concession in North Maluku. The names of Bobby and his wife, Kahiyang Ayu, emerged in the testimony of Abdul Ghani Kasuba, the Governor of North Maluku from 2014 to 2023, during the trial.

The two obtained a share of the nickel mining concession in the province. Abdul Ghani testified that in 2022, he received a call from Kahiyang, who asked him about the mining concession in East Halmahera. After the phone conversation, Abdul Ghani flew to Medan to meet with her and to discuss the mining concession. Abdul Ghani died in March 2025, before more details of the involvement of Bobby and Kahiyang could be revealed in court.

The KPK should immediately investigate the involvement of the couple. There is no reason for President Prabowo Subianto to obstruct the KPK investigation. If he does, he will remain a hostage to the political games of his predecessor.