Bharada E Confesses He was Ordered to Shoot Brig. J

Second Agent (Bharada) E has confessed that his superiors ordered him to shoot Brig. J. Mahfud M.D. has urged the public to continue monitoring the case.

ISTIMEWA

The lawyers for Second Agent (Bharada) E or Richard Eliezer Pudihang, Deolipa Yumara and Muhammad Burhanuddin, requested protection from the Witness and Victim Protection Agency, Monday (8/8/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Second Agent (Bharada) E, or Richard Eliezer Pudihang Lumiu, has revealed to police investigators that he was ordered by his superiors to shoot Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat, also known as Brig. J. This information was conveyed by Eliezer’s attorney, Deolipa Yumara, at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on Monday evening (8/8/2022).

Eliezer’s confession stands in contrast to the alleged cause of Nofriansyah’s death as initially revealed by the National Police. At the time, the police claimed that Nofriansyah had been killed in a shootout with Eliezer at the official residence of suspended internal affairs chief Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo, with the alleged incident occurring because Nofriansyah had assaulted Ferdy’s wife, Putri Candrawati.

Eliezer made his confession, according to Deolipa, during his interrogation. To date, Eliezer remains a suspect in the fatal shooting of Nofriansyah and has not changed his confession. In addition, Eliezer confessed that no shootout had occurred when Nofriansyah was killed.

Deolipa said Eliezer had to obey the order to shoot Nofriansyah because it came from his superiors. Previously, the police had stated that both Nofriansyah and Eliezer were Ferdy’s aides. “He is a member of the police, so he must obey the orders of his superiors. We too, as employees, obey the instructions of our leaders,” said Deolipa.

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According to Deolipa, Eliezer is doing well and he had not received any threats. Eliezer’s parents are also in Jakarta, but have been unable to meet him.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud M.D. has stated that Nofriansyah was murdered. Edwin Partogi Pasaribu, the deputy chairman Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), has also made the same statement (Kompas, 8/8/2022).

“Earlier, it was said that there was a shootout. But now there wasn’t. After tracing those involved, [the incident] now concerns many more people,” he said.

Nonetheless, according to Mahfud, National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo had made considerable efforts to solve the case.

Apart from Eliezer, the police have also named Brig. Ricky Rizal as a suspect. Both Eliezer and Ricky are aides to Ferdy’s wife, Putri. They were interrogated and have been detained at Bareskrim.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Head of the National Police Propam Division (deactivated) Inspector General Ferdy Sambo when he arrived at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Jakarta, to fulfill a summons for an investigation, Thursday (4/8/2022).

Ferdy took decoder

Meanwhile, Ferdy has been held at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java under investigation of an ethics violation. He is one of 25 officers suspected of violating the police ethics code through unprofessionalism and obstructing the investigation.

In his case, Ferdy allegedly removed the decoder of the CCTV surveillance camera installed at the location in his official residence where Nofriansyah was killed.

A special team led by National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono is investigating Ferdy over this.

National Police chief spokesman Insp. Gen. Dedy Prasetyo said on Monday (8/8) that the special team continued to focus on examining witness statements at the Mako Brimob as well as Bareskrim. “The special teams are being led by the National Police’s deputy chief and the Irwasum [General Supervision Inspectorate], and everything will be examined in depth,” said Dedi.

Keeping watch

Police have yet to reveal the alleged cause of Nofriansyah’s death. Mahfud also called on the public, civil society organizations and the mass media to continue following the case, so the government can receive their feedback. He also asked the National Police chief to solve Brig. J’s death as soon as possible.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung added that President Joko Widodo had called on three separate occasions to maintain transparency throughout the investigation. Brig. J’s case must be disclosed as is.

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In addition to submitting a confession that contradicts the police’s preliminary investigation, Eliezer has also offered to be a justice collaborator, a witness cooperating with law enforcement to reveal the “bigger fish”, with the LPSK.

In response, LPSK deputy chairman Edwin said the agency would coordinate with Bareskrim to investigate Eliezer’s claims further.

“If Bharada E [Eliezer] is not the main perpetrator and wants to help solve this case, then of course he qualifies as a justice collaborator,” he said.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.