Jokowi Mania Questions Prosecutors' Decision Not to Detain Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa

The chairman of Jokowi Mania (Jokman) Nusantara Bersatu, Andi Azwan, has questioned the South Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office’s decision not to detain Roy Suryo and Dr Tifa over allegations of spreading false information about President Joko Widodo’s diploma. Andi noted that prosecutors usually continue the detention of suspects handed over by the police. However, he said a different situation occurred with Roy and Tifa, who were initially detained by the police but then released by the prosecutors after the case was transferred. ‘That is an anomaly. Usually, if someone is made to wear an orange vest, the detention is continued when the case is transferred to the prosecutor’s office. So that raises a question,’ Andi said during CNN Indonesia’s Head to Head programme on Wednesday evening. He stated that this situation raises questions not only for him but also for the public at large. ‘So that is a question for the public as well. I also represent the public on this matter. Because there must be an acceptable explanation,’ he said. Andi also questioned the fact that Roy and Tifa had undergone treatment at Kramat Jati Hospital. He said the treatment of both individuals remains questionable, as they had previously appeared to be in good health and fit. Furthermore, Andi claimed he had heard that both were treated in a VIP room. ‘And there is an admission of privilege, isn’t there? It was said that when they were examined and their detention was suspended, there was a privilege that they were treated in a VIP room. That is another question,’ he said. Roy Suryo’s legal counsel, Abdul Gafur Sangadji, stated that he accompanied his client during the detention at Polda Metro Jaya. He assessed that Roy’s detention was carried out without clear reasons. According to Gafur, in Roy’s case, if the police wanted to transfer evidence and the suspect, they should have simply issued a summons without resorting to detention. ‘But then suddenly on Friday, a very dramatic arrest was made,’ he said. Gafur argued that the arrest was not conducted according to the principles set out in the Criminal Procedure Code or the principles of modern material criminal law, which emphasise a humane approach. ‘When Polda Metro Jaya made the arrest, we saw no legal urgency. What was the legal urgency to carry out the arrest at 7 am? We also have evidence,’ he said. The South Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office released Roy and Tifa after receiving the phase two handover of evidence and suspects from Polda Metro Jaya investigators on Monday. The head of the prosecutor’s office, Marcelo Bellah, said his office had received requests for a suspension of detention from the legal counsel and families of Roy and Tifa. In the request, the families guaranteed they were prepared to accept the risks should Roy and Tifa fail to appear in court. ‘Considering the family as guarantors who are willing to accept the risk if the suspects do not attend the trial, as well as written statements from the suspects that they will always be cooperative in fulfilling all obligations and applicable rules and will not repeat the said actions to maintain a conducive situation,’ Marcelo said at the South Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office on Monday.