From the start of the Roy Suryo case to the victory of the preliminary trial

tirto.id – The court case involving Roy Suryo regarding the alleged dissemination of information regarding the alleged fake diploma of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, is back in the spotlight after the South Jakarta District Court judge granted part of the pre-trial application he submitted.

This case began with a report submitted by Joko Widodo in 2025, then developed through a series of investigations, the determination of suspects, and the process of arresting and detaining Roy Suryo by investigators from Polda Metro Jaya.

The latest development occurred on Tuesday (7/7/2026), when the South Jakarta District Court judge partially granted the pre-trial motion submitted by Roy Suryo.

In his ruling, the judge said the search, arrest and detention of Roy Suryo were legally invalid.

“During the trial, the plaintiff’s pre-trial request was partially granted,” said Single Pre-Trial Judge I Ketut Darpawan during the pre-trial ruling hearing at the South Jakarta District Court, Tuesday (7/7/2026).

Chronology of the Roy Suryo affair

The following is a complete timeline of the Roy Suryo case, from the initial appearance of the case to the results of the preliminary hearing.

July 7, 2025: Roy Suryo examined as reported party

The case entered the investigation stage after Roy Suryo responded to a summons for interrogation at Polda Metro Jaya regarding a report by the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, regarding the alleged dissemination of information that his diploma was fake. Roy was interviewed along with a number of other parties, such as Eggi Sudjana and Kurnia Tri Royani.

After the exam, Roy admitted that investigators asked about 80 questions. However, he said he only answered questions related to his identity, while most other questions were not answered because, according to him, they were not relevant to the case under investigation.

At that time, Polda Metro Jaya received several reports from the regional police, while Bareskrim Polri previously stated that Joko Widodo’s diploma was authentic based on the results of a digital forensic examination.

July 21, 2025: Roy Suryo requests a special case

Roy Suryo and a number of members of the Ulema and Activist Defense Team (TPUA), including Muhammad Rizal Fadhillah and Kurnia Tri Royani, went to Polda Metro Jaya to submit a letter requesting that a special case be filed. This request was submitted after the status of the case moved from one investigation to another.

Roy questioned the merits of increasing the status of the case because, according to him, the journalist, namely Joko Widodo, was not questioned by investigators. He also questioned the use of photocopied documents as a basis for investigation and said investigators should first examine the original documents.

October 24, 2025: Received a legalized copy of the KPU diploma

Roy Suryo and public policy analyst Bonatua Silalahi obtained a legalized copy of Joko Widodo’s diploma from the General Election Commission (KPU).

After receiving the document, Roy said he would conduct further research by comparing the legalization of various documents that were used in Joko Widodo’s candidacy in various regions, including Solo and DKI Jakarta. According to him, the research was carried out to test the consistency of documents available in the public space.

November 7, 2025: Roy Suryo named as suspect

Polda Metro Jaya officially named eight people as suspects in a case of alleged defamation, dissemination of false news and violations of the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (UU ITE) related to Joko Widodo’s fake diploma allegations. Roy Suryo is included in the second cluster with Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar and dr. Tifauziah Tyassuma (Dr. Tifa).

In a press conference, the Metro Jaya Police Chief said investigators interviewed about 120 witnesses, 22 experts, and confiscated the original diploma documents from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), which would confirm that Joko Widodo’s diploma was authentic and valid. These results were also confirmed by an examination carried out by the Forensic Laboratory of the National Police (Puslabfor).

November 7, 2025: Roy Suryo responds to suspect status

In response to his naming as a suspect, Roy Suryo said he would respect ongoing legal proceedings. He said he would react calmly to this status while continuing to fight for his legal opinion.

Roy also believes that naming suspects against himself and a number of other parties who conducted research on public documents could set a bad precedent for academic freedom and open information in Indonesia.

November 20, 2025: ban on traveling abroad

Polda Metro Jaya issued an overseas warning against the eight suspects, including Roy Suryo. In addition to being banned, Roy is required to make mandatory reports to Polda Metro Jaya once a week during the investigation process.

December 18, 2025: Special case title and appointment for the original diploma

Polda Metro Jaya held a special hearing attended by investigators and related parties. In this forum, with the approval of the participants in the case, investigators showed an original diploma in the name of Joko Widodo issued by the Faculty of Forestry at Gadjah Mada University.

Once the case designation was completed, the investigator said he would complete the file before handing it over to the prosecutor’s office. The police also said that if the suspects object to the investigation process, they can resort to pre-trial mechanisms in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.

February 11, 2026: Fulfill mandatory reporting obligations

Roy Suryo returned to Polda Metro Jaya to fulfill his mandatory reporting obligations. On the same day, investigators also interviewed a number of expert witnesses presented by Roy Suryo, including Bonatua Silalahi.

This review is related to the research carried out by Roy with Rismon Sianipar and dr. Tifa regarding Joko Widodo’s diploma document which was previously circulating in the public space.

April 17-25, 2026: publication of SP3 for certain suspects

Polda Metro Jaya issued a Stop Investigation Order (SP3) against three suspects, namely Eggi Sudjana, Damai Hari Lubis and Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar after resolution through a restorative justice mechanism.

However, the police stressed that the closure of the investigation did not affect the legal proceedings against Roy Suryo or Dr Tifa which were continuing to the prosecution stage.

June 18, 2026: Search of Roy Suryo’s house

Investigators from the State Security Sub-Directorate of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of Polda Metro Jaya conducted a search at Roy Suryo’s home as part of the investigation process after the case file was declared complete (P21) by the Prosecutor’s Office.

June 19, 2026: Roy Suryo arrested and detained

In the morning around 07.00 WIB, investigators from Polda Metro Jaya arrested Roy Suryo at his home. On the same day, Dr. Tifa was also arrested in her apartment around 06:47 WIB.

The police explained that this action was carried out after the case was declared complete by the prosecutor’s office and that it was part of the legal procedure and not a decision finding someone guilty.

June 19, 2026: Jokowi responds to his arrest

In response to the arrest of Roy Suryo and dr. Tifa, Joko Widodo said he respects all ongoing legal proceedings. He stressed that the decision on this matter was entirely within the authority of the court.

June 22, 2026: Submission of the first preliminary procedure Roy Suryo, through his legal team, submitted a pre-trial application to the South Jakarta District Court under the number 99/Pid.Pra/2026/PN.JKT.SEL.

This application tests the legality of searches, arrests, detentions and the status of the ban carried out by Polda Metro Jaya investigators.

July 3, 2026: Filing of a second preliminary procedure

Roy Suryo has again submitted a pre-trial application which specifically tests whether or not his designation as a suspect is valid based on Section 32 of the ITE Act.

July 7, 2026: the first preliminary trial is partially granted

The single judge of the South Jakarta District Court partially granted Roy Suryo’s pre-trial request. In his ruling, the judge declared that the search of June 18, 2026, the arrest of June 19, 2026 and the detention of Roy Suryo were declared illegal.

However, this decision only tested the validity of the investigator’s procedures and did not decide the main case or determine whether or not Roy Suryo was guilty of the charges filed.