Case was Inaptly Handled

KOMPAS/NORBERTUS ARYA DWIANGGA MARTIAR

Putri Candrawathi

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The National Police have named another suspect, Brig. Ricky Rizal, in the case of the death of Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, also known as Brig. J, at the official residence of suspended internal affairs chief Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo. Second Agent (Bharada) E, or Richard Eliezer Pudihang Lumiu, had been named a suspect earlier.

Meanwhile, deputy chairman Edwin Partogi Pasaribu of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) said the agency felt the case was being handled inappropriately, because police had publicly disclosed allegations of obscenity and attempted murder. “But the fact is that Nofriansyah was murdered,” said Edwin on Sunday (7/8/2022).

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Edwin added that according to a reliable LPSK source, Eliezer was not the main perpetrator in the shooting of Nofriansyah.

The shooting allegedly occurred because Nofriansyah had assaulted Ferdy’s wife, Putri Candrawati.

Since the case unfolded, the National Police claimed that Nofriansyah was killed in a shootout with Eliezer at Ferdy’s official residence in Duren Tiga, South Jakarta. The shooting allegedly occurred because Nofriansyah had assaulted Ferdy’s wife, Putri Candrawati.

General crimes director Brig. Gen. Andi Rian Djajadi of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) said on Sunday (7/8) that the two people who had been named as suspects in the case, Ricky and Eliezer, were being detained at Bareskrim in Jakarta.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

General crimes director Brig. Gen. Andi Rian Djajadi

Andi said that Eliezer and Ricky were respectively an aide and a driver for Ferdy’s wife. However, Andi did not specify Ricky’s role in the shooting that led to Nofriansyah’s death. He only revealed that two pieces of evidence pointed to Ricky as a suspect.

“[Ricky and Eliezer] have been detained at Bareskrim,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ferdy has been held since Saturday (6/8) at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Kelapa Dua, Depok, for the next 30 days. He is one of 25 officers suspected of violating the ethics code due to unprofessionalism in investigating the crime scene of Nofriansyah’s fatal shooting. Ferdy allegedly took the decoder of a CCTV surveillance camera that was installed at his official residence, where Nofriansyah was shot and killed.

Punishable

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud M.D. said Ferdy’s action could be seen as a violation of ethics as well as a crime. The decoder was evidence in the fatal shooting of Nofriansyah and since it had been taken, it could be viewed as the crime of obstruction of justice.

“The removal of the CCTV [surveillance camera decoder] is an ethics and criminal issue because formal law is based on morals and ethics. So, taking the CCTV can be a violation of ethics because it reflects unprofessionalism, and it can also be a crime because it is obstruction of justice,” Mahfud said when contacted on Sunday.

Such sanctions were merely administrative, such as a dismissal, demotion or reprimand. The Police Ethics Commission was not a court.

In this case, Mahfud added, handling the alleged ethics violation should be in line with the alleged crime. This is because ethical sanctions are not decided by a judge. Such sanctions were merely administrative, such as a dismissal, demotion or reprimand. The Police Ethics Commission was not a court.

KOMPAS

Inspector General Ferdy Sambo and his wife, Putri Candrawathi.

If, however, there were allegations of criminal violations, he continued, a court judge would decide.

Facts of the murder

Edwin hoped that the investigation would soon reveal the main perpetrator of the fatal shooting of Nofriansyah. According to Edwin, based on information obtained by the LPSK from a reliable source, Eliezer was not the main perpetrator in the shooting.

The LPSK had investigated Eliezer further because a few days after police announced Nofriansyah’s death, both Eliezer and Putri asked the LPSK for witness protection.

So far, he continued, the driving force behind the legal process in this case remained with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Mahfud. Due to the attention from the President and Mahfud, what was initially an ordinary case had become extraordinary and pushed the police to act professionally.

Edwin also expressed the hope that the handling of the case will not stop at naming Eliezer as a suspect. The LPSK was ready to process applications for justice collaborators or witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement agencies to reveal the “bigger fish”.

“We are open to processing Bharada E as a JC [justice collaborator] if he can prove or explain that he is not the main perpetrator,” he said.

To reporters, Putri asked for prayers so that her family could persevere through this difficult time.

Meanwhile, Putri appeared in public for the first time to visit her husband, Ferdy, at the Mako Brimob. She was accompanied by her attorney, Arman Hanis. However, Putri’s wish to visit Ferdy was not granted. To reporters, Putri asked for prayers so that her family could persevere through this difficult time. “And I sincerely forgive all the actions that we and our family has experienced,” she said.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said Ferdy would be held at the Mako Brimob for the next 30 days, according to information from the Special Inspectorate (Irsus).

A member of the National Police Commission, Poengky Indarti, said that holding a member of the National Police, such as Ferdy, in a place like the Mako Brimob was done to expedite an investigation into an ethics code violation. This was in line with Government Regulation (PP) No. 2/2003 on disciplinary procedures for police officers.

ARSIP PRIBADI

Poengky Indarti

In this ethics violation, Ferdy allegedly took the decoder of a CCTV surveillance camera installed at his official residence, where Nofriansyah died. Poengky said that based on Irsus’ conclusion, Ferdy had been unprofessional in investigating the crime scene. Its conclusion was made by examining the procedures that should be followed during a crime scene investigation, starting from the party conducting the investigation to the procedures of gathering evidence from a crime scene.

“Through science-based investigations, any suspected error at the crime scene will be immediately known,” he said. (PSD/NAD/DEA/BOW)

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.