Bahar bin Smith assault victim refuses Rp100 million offer, citing unwillingness to settle

TANGERANG, KOMPAS.com - The head of the Tangerang City branch leadership of GP Ansor, Midyani, said that the family of one of the suspects in the assault that involved Bahar bin Smith had once entrusted Rp 100 million to Ridha, the victim of the preacher’s assault. According to Midyani, the money was entrusted to him by the family of one of the perpetrators to be handed to the victim, a member of Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser) Kota Tangerang. ‘Indeed there was a Rp 100 million money deposit from the family of one of the offenders for the victim,’ Midyani told Kompas.com, on Thursday (5/3/2026). However, the victim refused to accept the money because of concerns it related to efforts to resolve the matter through restorative justice (RJ). ‘I told the victim that there was this money deposit. But the victim refused because he feared it was part of a restorative justice process,’ he said. Because the victim did not agree to receive the money, the family of the offender then asked for the money to be returned. Midyani ultimately returned the money in full via bank transfer. According to Midyani, the return was accompanied by proof and a statement that he had never used the money. ‘I returned it in full and there is a receipt as well,’ Midyani added. In addition, Midyani said the family of the suspect had also offered a donation of land to be used as the Secretariat of GP Ansor Kota Tangerang. However, that plan did not continue after the victim remained insistent on not resolving the case through restorative justice. ‘From the outset they tried to resolve the case through restorative justice, but the victim chose to pursue the legal process,’ Midyani said. In the mediation facilitated by the police, the victim was asked first to detail the material losses he had suffered. The material losses noted at the meeting were around Rp 270 million.