Minister Amran Dismisses 13 Officials in Massive Online Gambling Scandal

Jakarta: In a swift crackdown on civil service misconduct, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has permanently dismissed 13 high-ranking echelon officials after internal investigations caught them participating in illegal online gambling.

The decision came following an emergency 6:00 a.m. leadership meeting on Monday, August 31, 2026, where officials reviewed concrete evidence of the violations.

Internal reports revealed that several of the disgraced officials had made online gambling deposits totalling nearly Rp200 million. After ministry auditors thoroughly verified the claims, Minister Amran took immediate action, citing zero tolerance for behavior that tarnishes public service ethics.

"There is no need to mention their names. We dismissed 13 people for indiscipline and involvement in online gambling," Amran stated during a press conference in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, August 31, 2026.

He emphasized that civil servants are expected to serve as ethical role models for the public, adding that the decisive sanctions are meant to protect the broader ministry culture and serve as a stern warning to all personnel.

Amran clarified that the firings were strictly linked to online gambling activities and entirely unrelated to any ongoing corruption inquiries. To prevent operational bottlenecks across the ministry, which employs roughly 52,000 staff nationwide, the Inspectorate General and Secretariat General immediately installed replacement personnel for all 13 vacated positions.