Bahar bin Smith’s victim seeks Rp 2 billion for a settlement: why so much?

An alleged victim of Bahar bin Smith’s assault in Tangerang has requested Rp 2 billion in a mediation process. The request arose during attempts to settle the matter through restorative justice (RJ), but the victim’s side described the figure as immaterial damages rather than extortion. Midyani, head of the Tangerang City branch of GP Ansor, confirmed that the assault victim, Ridha, together with his wife Fitri Yulita, had at one point said this figure in the mediation forum.

‘So, the thing is, the information I received from the complainant, Mrs Fitri and the victim Ridha, but for immaterial damages,’ Midyani told Kompas.com on Thursday (5 March 2026). According to Midyani, the demand appeared in the mediation process facilitated by the Kota Tangerang City Police.

He stressed that the demand cannot be immediately labelled as extortion as claimed by Bahar bin Smith’s lawyers. He said the material losses were estimated at around Rp 270 million. ‘In the mediation, they asked to first calculate the material losses. If I’m not mistaken, around Rp 270 million,’ he said.

The amount was then recorded by the police who attended as mediator in the negotiation between the two sides. However, Midyani said Bahar’s counsel viewed the figure as too small and suggested rounding up to Rp 300 million. ‘It was recorded by the police, if I’m not mistaken. The lawyer from LBH said it was too small, so they offered Rp 300 million,’ he added. ‘When offered Rp 300 million, the complainant replied, I’ll take Rp 2 billion,’ he said.

According to Midyani, the figure emerged spontaneously during the negotiations and relates to immaterial damages that cannot be directly measured in monetary terms.