Judge Rules Police Actions Against Roy Suryo Unlawful

Jakarta - South Jakarta District Court Sole Judge I Ketut Darpawan has revealed the considerations underpinning the decision to partially grant Roy Suryo’s pretrial motion. “One, regarding the search and arrest actions carried out by the respondent against the applicant,” said Judge I Ketut Darpawan on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. The judge stated that the core issue considered was the legality of the search, arrest, and detention of Roy Suryo. The judge assessed that although Polda Metro Jaya had obtained a search warrant from the Tangerang District Court, there was a discrepancy between the reasons submitted in the warrant application and its execution in the field. “The Head of the Tangerang District Court granted the respondent permission to conduct a search because the house or closed premises, as mentioned in the letter, was suspected by the respondent to be a hiding place for evidence. However, in its execution, the search was conducted to arrest the applicant,” he said. The judge also noted that Roy Suryo was cooperative during the investigation and there were no circumstances indicating any hindrance for investigators to transfer the case file to the public prosecutor. “The use of search and arrest measures by the respondent without being able to prove accountable reasons, according to the judge, constitutes an arbitrary act,” he stated. Regarding the detention, the judge mentioned that Roy Suryo had been complying with mandatory reporting since being named a suspect on 7 November 2025 until 18 June 2026 without ever being detained. Therefore, the judge considered that the subjective requirements for detention were not met. However, the judge rejected Roy Suryo’s request to have the entire investigation dossier declared invalid. The judge emphasised that the illegality of the search, arrest, and detention does not automatically render the investigation dossier invalid. The request for the court to prohibit the public prosecutor from issuing a detention order was also rejected as it is not within the authority of a pretrial hearing. It was previously reported that Roy Suryo achieved a partial victory in the pretrial hearing held at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. Sole Judge I Ketut Darpawan declared a number of coercive measures taken by Polda Metro Jaya investigators against Roy Suryo, from the search and arrest to the detention, to be unlawful. The ruling was read out in the pretrial hearing examining the validity of the investigators’ actions in the case ensnaring Roy Suryo.