Indonesia's Constitutional Court finds no proof Gibran has foreign secondary diploma

Indonesia's Constitutional Court (MK) ruled on October 6, 2026, that it found no convincing evidence that Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka holds a diploma, certificate, or sertifikat from a foreign secondary school that could be equated with Indonesia's standard secondary education (SLTA or equivalent). The court's decision came in case 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026, a formal challenge to Gibran's eligibility brought by legal scholar Denny Indrayana and 12 other complainants, including academics and civil society representatives.

The proceedings revealed conflicting assessments of Gibran's educational credentials. Gibran's educational history includes attendance at Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore (2002-2004, where he obtained a GCE O-Level certificate), UTS Insearch in Sydney (2004-2007, Certificate of Attendance), and MDIS Singapore (2007-2010, Advanced Diploma in Business Studies). When Gibran registered as vice-presidential candidate in 2024, he submitted only photocopies of two equivalency letters: one from Indonesia's Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) dated August 6, 2019 (No. 9149/D.D1/KS/2019), equating his education to vocational secondary (SMK) level in accounting and finance; and another from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) dated 2019 (No. 2296/Belmawa/IJLN/2019), recognizing his University of Bradford qualification as an S1 (bachelor's) degree.

During hearings on October 1-2, 2026, the Kemendikdasmen's Director General Gogot Suharwoto explained that the 2019 equivalency process involved matching three criteria: three years of study duration, six semesters of transcript records, and curriculum structure alignment with Indonesian vocational programs. He testified that no actual ijazah (diploma certificate) was submitted as supporting documentation—only a Certificate of Attendance, academic records, and grade explanations. Expert witness Ina Liem argued Gibran's substantial credential was an Advanced Diploma from MDIS Singapore, while Kemendikdasmen disputed whether "Advanced Diploma" exists in Singapore's official education system. Education attachés from Indonesia's embassies in Singapore and Australia testified they held no records of Gibran's studies.

The court found this evidentiary gap determinative. Judge Ridwan Mansyur stated: "The Constitutional Court did not find documents showing Gibran Rakabuming Raka possesses a diploma or certificate as proof of completing foreign secondary education equivalent to upper-secondary school or equivalent." Judge Arsul Sani criticized the 2019 Kemendikdasmen letter as "ambiguous" because it equated knowledge rather than an actual diploma, unlike the clearer Kemenristekdikti letter on higher education. Despite these findings, the court declined to revoke Gibran's status as Vice President, reasoning that he was sworn in on October 20, 2024, ending his candidate status and placing educational credential disputes outside the court's jurisdiction for electoral correction. Judge Adies Kadir stated: "Although no convincing evidence was found, the Constitutional Court cannot invalidate or disqualify Gibran Rakabuming Raka in his position as Vice President as petitioned." The court held that educational credential verification became the responsibility of bodies with constitutional authority to assess vice-presidential qualifications, not the electoral court.