Jakarta. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa on Tuesday swore in more than 1,500 newly appointed officials at the Finance Ministry, warning that they would face legal consequences if they engaged in corruption.

Purbaya said the long-held perception that the Finance Ministry protects corrupt employees is misguided, stressing that the government is committed to taking firm action to prevent losses to state finances.

“I reminded them that we are not above the law. If they commit wrongdoing, they will face legal proceedings. We are changing their mindset,” Purbaya said after the inauguration ceremony at the Finance Ministry building in Jakarta.

Most of the newly appointed officials will serve at the Directorate General of Taxes and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise as part of internal reforms in the tax administration. The reshuffle follows the arrest of several senior officials over alleged corruption.

“This step is meant to ensure that new policies in taxation and customs can be implemented effectively. The new officials have been reassessed and interviewed again, so they should be more motivated than those before them,” Purbaya said.

He added that positions within the Finance Ministry carry responsibility for managing public funds and therefore require strong discipline and integrity.

“Jobs at the Finance Ministry involve managing the people’s money, and that money must be safeguarded with discipline and integrity. No matter how advanced the system is, if the integrity of the employees is weak, it will fail,” Purbaya said.

“I ask all of them to work wholeheartedly, maintain integrity, and help increase state revenue,” he added.

Purbaya also urged the ministry’s Inspectorate General to tighten internal oversight and take proactive measures so that potential violations or “leakages” in state finances can be detected early — before they are uncovered by external law enforcement authorities such as prosecutors or the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

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