Indonesia’s Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Agus Andrianto, has vowed to dismiss two immigration officers in Bali implicated in a criminal case involving foreign nationals, should they be sentenced to more than two years in prison.
“If the prosecutors file charges and they are sentenced (verdict) to more than two years, I will definitely fire them,” Minister Agus said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Immigration Patrol Task Force in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday (August 5, 2025).
Minister Agus explained that his office would wait for a final and binding court ruling before taking such action. He emphasized that the case involving the two officers was a criminal matter that must be prosecuted.
“No leader ever wants their subordinates to engage in misconduct. If they commit misconduct, we will take action,” he stated.
Agus also reminded immigration officers to uphold integrity and maintain proper behavior, including their appearance.
“As civil servants, is it appropriate, ethical, and proper (to have tattoos)? If it’s not ethical and proper, then don’t get tattoos. I’m not anti-tattoo. tattoos are great, but it depends on who they’re for,” he said.
Attracted International Media
Previously, Bali Police arrested two immigration officers, Ernest Ezmail (24) from Jakarta and Yopita Barinda Putri (24) from Magelang on suspicion of conspiring with two Russian nationals to extort and assault a Lithuanian citizen, RS (Roman Smeilov).
Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya explained, “Their modus operandi was to extort the victim by kidnapping them and threatening to take them to the Immigration Office for deportation.
”He noted that the incident took place on July 10, 2025, at around 11:30 p.m. local time in a housing complex in Jimbaran, Badung Regency.
According to Daniel, the crime was carried out under the orders of a fugitive identified by the initials GG. Ernest and Yopita were promised IDR 3 million and a share of a debt they planned to collect from a man named Rustam, amounting to USD 150,000.
According to Kompas.com, Reiterating his stance, Agus said, “Those kinds of people definitely need to be fired. Later, if they are sentenced and the verdict is more than two years (in prison), I will definitely fire them.”
The case has also attracted international media coverage. On August 5, 2025, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) published a report titled “Immigration officers in Indonesia’s Bali helped Russians run tourist extortion ring: police.”
The article revealed the alleged involvement of two Bali immigration officers in an extortion network targeting foreign tourists. According to police, the officers were working in collaboration with two Russian nationals.
Authorities have recorded at least 27 similar incidents between January and July 2025. These cases occurred in several areas across Bali, including Denpasar, Badung, and Gianyar.
Azerbaijan-based media outlet Caliber, in its August 1, 2025 article titled “Bali police name Russian nationals in tourist extortion ring”, quoted the Bali Police Chief as detailing each suspect’s role.
The two Russian nationals allegedly identified potential targets, while the two immigration officers carried out the threats, using their authority to intimidate victims with the prospect of arrest or deportation unless they paid bribes.
Sources: AntaraNews, Detik.com, Kompas.com
Feat Image : Denpasar Immigration Office