Ex-Member of Bali Police Sentenced to 3 Years in Seafarer Trafficking Case

A former member of the Bali Police’s Directorate of Water and Air Police (Ditpolairud), I Putu Setiyawan, has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Denpasar District Court for his involvement in a human trafficking case. The case concerns the recruitment of crew members for the fishing vessel KM Awindo 2. The verdict was delivered on Friday, 26 June 2026, with the panel of judges declaring Setiyawan legally and convincingly proven guilty of the crime of human trafficking as charged by the public prosecutor. The fact that Setiyawan was an active member of the Indonesian National Police at the time of the crime was highlighted by the judges as an aggravating circumstance, stating that as a law enforcement officer, he should have been protecting the public instead of participating in the criminal act. In addition to the three-year prison term, the court imposed a fine of Rp 200 million and ordered Setiyawan to pay restitution of Rp 32 million, which is to be borne jointly with the other defendants in the case. The trial revealed Setiyawan’s role in the recruitment process, which included collecting the victims’ identity documents, distributing operational funds for recruitment, and issuing and signing the seafarers’ employment agreements. This sentencing completes the legal proceedings against four other defendants in the same case: Iwan, the Director of PT Awindo International’s Bali representative office; Jaja Sucharja, the captain of the KM Awindo 2; Refdiyanto, the Director of CV Pelaut Bahari Sejahtera; and Titin Sumartini. All four were also sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rp 200 million. The case originated from the recruitment of prospective crew members for the KM Awindo 2, owned by PT Awindo International, in August 2025. The victims were recruited through job advertisements promising attractive work and income. In reality, they were allegedly subjected to exploitation, including working hours that did not match the agreement, restrictions on communication, confiscation of identity documents, and threats if they refused to work or cancelled their departure. The three-year sentence was lighter than the four-year term requested by the public prosecutor. Both the prosecution and the defence stated they are considering their next legal steps.