Gibran's Diploma Disputed: Legal Team Presents Documents, Denny Indrayana Walks Out of PTUN

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has opened the door to attending in person the hearing on the lawsuit over his education equivalency certificate at the Jakarta Administrative Court (PTUN), on condition that the hearing schedule does not clash with state duties. The statement was made by his legal team after a follow-up hearing on Thursday (29/10) that ended in disarray: the plaintiff, Denny Indrayana and his team, chose to withdraw the lawsuit and walk out of the courtroom.

On the other side, Gibran's legal team used the hearing forum to lay out in detail the documents of their client's education history. They displayed slides containing copies of diplomas and certificates, including those obtained from foreign institutions, during the hearing at the Jakarta PTUN and a press conference in South Jakarta. The move appeared to be an effort to build a narrative that Gibran's educational path can be accounted for administratively, even though legally the case is not yet settled.

Adil Supatra Akbar, a member of Gibran's legal team, explained that his client took a pre-university pathway at UTS Insearch (now UTS College) Australia. From that institution, Gibran obtained a Certificate of Attendance with completion of about 90 percent of subjects, which was then recognized by the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) as the basis for credit transfer. After completing the pre-university program at MDIS, Gibran earned an Advanced Diploma, then continued to the University of Bradford through a partnership with MDIS.

Adil stressed that the Advanced Diploma from MDIS is equivalent to A Level, which is commonly used as a university entry standard in various countries, including Singapore. He also highlighted the difference in secondary education structures: in Indonesia six years (SMP and SMA), whereas abroad four years (secondary school). "This is the first gap between the education system in Indonesia and abroad," he said, expressing hope that the explanation would give the public a complete picture.

"We met with the Vice President before the hearing. He said he was not angry at anyone, he only asked that this matter be addressed," Adil said, describing Gibran's stance.

Meanwhile, Denny Indrayana via his official Instagram account announced the withdrawal of the lawsuit and the walkout. He regretted the defendant's stance, which he deemed uncooperative. "After being asked repeatedly, even by the presiding judge, they never presented any evidence that became the basis for issuing the certificate," Denny wrote. He also questioned why the defendant instead objected when the lawsuit was withdrawn. This stance raises questions about the transparency of the legal process and the credibility of the disputed documents.

The case began with a lawsuit filed by PT Mercy Toga Kirana on 15 July 2026. Its petitum asked the PTUN to declare void or invalid Decree No. 9149/D.D1/KS/2019 on Diploma Equivalency. The decree became the basis for the KPU RI in assessing Gibran's administrative eligibility when he ran in the 2024 Presidential Election. With the withdrawal of the lawsuit, the legal status of the letter remains unchanged for now, but the public polemic is predicted to stay heated.

The public will be waiting to see whether Gibran actually attends the next hearing, and how the government responds to the accusation of a lack of transparency. If the case continues, the test for the accountability of public documents and public trust in the electoral administrative verification process will become ever more exposed.