Following widespread public controversy, President Prabowo Subianto has granted rehabilitation to Ira Puspadewi, the former President Director of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau, dan Penyeberangan (ASDP) Indonesia Ferry (Persero).
President Prabowo signed the rehabilitation decree on Tuesday afternoon, November 25, according to Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.
“Based on communications with the government, alhamdulillah (thank God), President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto has today signed the rehabilitation letters for the three individuals,” Sufmi Dasco stated at the Merdeka Palace complex on Tuesday, November 25.
In addition to Puspadewi, two other defendants implicated in the same ASDP corruption case, Muhammad Yusuf Hadi and Harry Muhammad Adhi Caksono, also received rehabilitation.
Earlier, on Tuesday, November 25, Ira Puspadewi had been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison by the Corruption Court (Tipikor) in a case concerning the acquisition of PT Jembatan Nusantara (JN) by PT ASDP.
The case garnered significant attention as one of the judges lodged a dissenting opinion regarding the verdict.
Chief Justice Sunoto argued that Ira Puspadewi and her co-defendants should have been acquitted or released due to insufficient evidence of corruption.
He contended that not only was there no evidence of fund transfers, but ASDP’s acquisition of PT JN was purely a business policy. Criminalizing such a decision, he warned, would instill fear across all State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).
Puspadewi herself consistently maintained her innocence throughout the proceedings.
Following her conviction, Puspadewi sought protection from President Prabowo.
Dasco further elaborated that the rehabilitation was granted in response to public aspirations conveyed to the DPR.
The DPR subsequently conducted a review of the case involving Puspadewi, he added.
“We then requested the legal commission to conduct a study of the investigation, which began in July 2024,” he explained.
The findings of this legal study, Dasco continued, were then presented to the government.
Ira Puspadewi Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison
Previously, Ira Puspadewi, the former President Director of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau, dan Penyeberangan (ASDP) Indonesia Ferry (Persero), was found guilty and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
She was declared guilty by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday, November 20.
Puspadewi was tried for corruption related to a business cooperation agreement (KSU) and the acquisition process of PT Jembatan Nusantara (PT JN) during the 2019–2022 period.
This verdict was lighter than the 8.5-year sentence demanded by the public prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as reported by Kompas.com.
In their verdict, the panel of judges determined that Puspadewi had demonstrably enriched PT JN’s owner, Adjie, by Rp 1.25 trillion through the acquisition of PT JN by PT ASDP.
Despite being found to have enriched another person or corporation, Puspadewi was deemed not to have received personal gain, thus she was not ordered to pay restitution.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Yusuf Hadi, Commercial and Services Director of PT ASDP Ferry, and Harry Muhammad Adhi Caksono, former Planning and Development Director of PT ASDP Ferry, were also found guilty in the same case.
Both were sentenced to 4 years in prison and fined Rp 250 million, with a subsidiary sentence of 3 months in prison if the fine was not paid.
The actions of all three defendants were believed to have violated the second alternative indictment, namely Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) subsection 1.
Following her sentencing, Puspadewi sought President Prabowo’s protection, asserting that she had acted in the best interest of the Indonesian nation and state.
“We request legal protection from the President of Indonesia for professionals, especially those in BUMNs, who undertake significant proposals for the nation—not just for the company, but for the Indonesian people,” Puspadewi stated after the trial at the Corruption Court within the Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Puspadewi emphasized that there was no corrupt motive in the acquisition process of PT JN by PT ASDP; rather, it was purely intended to strengthen ASDP’s operations in Indonesia’s leading, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) regions.
Dissenting Opinion Among Judges Emerges
Judge Sunoto expressed a dissenting opinion, or differing statement, regarding the verdict against former President Director of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau, dan Penyeberangan (ASDP) Indonesia Ferry (Persero), Ira Puspadewi.
Sunoto argued that Puspadewi and the two other defendants should have been acquitted, or granted ontslag van alle recht vervolging (release from all legal prosecution), in the corruption case involving the business cooperation agreement (KSU) and acquisition of PT Jembatan Nusantara (PT JN) from 2019-2022.
“The defendants should have been declared free from all legal charges or released,” stated Chief Justice Sunoto while reading his considerations during the trial at the Corruption Court within the Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Sunoto contended that the actions of Puspadewi, alongside Muhammad Yusuf Hadi (Commercial and Services Director of PT ASDP Ferry) and Harry Muhammad Adhi Caksono (former Planning and Development Director of PT ASDP Ferry), did not constitute a criminal offense but were rather the outcome of business decisions.
“The defendants’ actions were proven to have occurred, but these actions do not constitute a criminal offense because they were business decisions protected by the business judgment rule, and the elements of a criminal act were not met,” he asserted.
According to Sunoto, the valuation for PT JN’s acquisition by PT ASDP was a business action that ultimately did not yield the best profit for the state.
Nevertheless, he argued that this business decision should not be classified as a criminal act and must be protected by the principle of the business judgment rule.
“Based on all the above considerations, there is a deep conviction that the defendants’ actions were business decisions protected by the business judgment rule,” Sunoto added.
He further assessed that in carrying out their duties, the defendants acted in good faith and exercised due diligence.
The defendants, he noted, had no personal interest in self-enrichment and no malicious intent to harm the state.
Furthermore, the defendants had no family or kinship ties with PT JN’s owner, Adjie.
They were also not business partners outside their capacity as directors of PT ASDP.
Sunoto warned that if Puspadewi and the two other defendants were to be convicted and found guilty of corruption, it would set a detrimental precedent for Indonesia’s future.
Such criminalization, he argued, could deter BUMN directors from taking necessary but risky decisions, even if vital for Indonesia’s progress.
“The best professionals would think multiple times before accepting leadership positions in BUMNs, fearing that any suboptimal business decision could lead to criminalization,” Sunoto concluded.
Why Did the KPK Insist Ira Puspadewi Committed Corruption?
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) maintained its firm stance that Ira Puspadewi, the former President Director of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau dan Penyeberangan (ASDP) Indonesia Ferry (Persero), was indeed involved in corruption in the case against her.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated that Puspadewi’s designation as a suspect was based on sufficient evidence.
The KPK, Budi added, had also conducted direct field inspections of the vessels’ conditions.
According to him, out of the total 53 PT Jembatan Nusantara vessels acquired by ASDP, 16 remained in shipyards undergoing repairs and maintenance.
These vessels, he explained, were not yet operational due to outstanding arrears.
The reason for their non-operation was the unpaid maintenance and repair costs.
“This, of course, also impacted the company’s profit and loss. Among the 16 vessels still in dry dock, four were in Riau, four in Tanjung Priok, and others in various shipyards across Indonesia,” Budi told reporters on Monday, November 24.
The KPK also suspected manipulation and orchestration in the acquisition process of these vessel assets, including the valuation of old ships.
However, Budi continued, assets of considerable age inherently offer suboptimal value or utility and pose safety risks.
Beyond the vessel acquisition, proper due diligence should have also scrutinized PT Jembatan Nusantara’s financial health.
Budi explained that the KPK found the company’s financial condition to be poor, yet it was acquired at a high valuation.
Furthermore, PT Jembatan Nusantara carried significant debt obligations, which ASDP subsequently had to assume after the acquisition.
“These factors should naturally be key considerations in business actions. This is part of the principles of the business judgment rule. We must ensure that this acquisition process was not subjected to manipulation or orchestration to facilitate the cooperation,” Budi elaborated.
“We certainly understand that business processes can result in profit or loss. However, our focus is on the process itself. This then leads to the element of state financial loss. There was an unlawful act, and there were parties who benefited,” he added.
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Summary
President Prabowo Subianto granted rehabilitation to Ira Puspadewi, former President Director of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, and two co-defendants on November 25. This intervention followed her conviction to 4.5 years in prison earlier that same day for corruption related to ASDP’s acquisition of PT Jembatan Nusantara (JN). While she was found to have enriched PT JN’s owner by Rp 1.25 trillion, a dissenting judge argued for acquittal, asserting the case involved business decisions protected by the business judgment rule.
The case sparked public controversy and led Puspadewi to seek presidential protection, maintaining her innocence and stating her actions were in the national interest. The rehabilitation was granted after public concerns were conveyed to the DPR, which conducted a legal study and presented its findings to the government. The KPK, however, had maintained its stance that there was sufficient evidence of manipulation in the acquisition process, highlighting PT JN’s poor financial health and non-operational acquired vessels.