Judge Rules the Buzzer Boss Case Should Be Probed Under the ITE Law, Not Under the Corruption Crime Law

JAKARTA — The panel of judges considers that the case involving M Adhiya Muzakki, Coordinator of the Cyber Army Team, is more appropriately pursued in general criminal court because it intersects with Article 27A and Article 45(4) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE). Adhiya is the defendant in a case of obstructing investigations into cases handled by the Attorney General’s Office (Kejaksaan Agung). ‘The panel of judges concluded that the more appropriate arena to try the matter a quo is the ordinary criminal trial rather than the Corruption Court,’ said Judge Andi Saputra during a session at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Pengadilan Tipikor) on Wednesday (4 March 2026). The judge noted that the panel found overlaps between the trial facts and the applicable law. ‘Taking into account that after reviewing the legal facts disclosed in the trial, the case in question intersects with the offences contained in Article 27A in conjunction with Article 45(4) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law,’ the judge added. In this case, Adhiya is said to have created content with a negative tone towards the ongoing legal process at the request of lawyer Marcella Santoso. The content was also produced to balance narratives that harmed Marcella’s client. By creating and disseminating the content with the help of 50 buzzers, Adhiya obtained profits of up to IDR 864.5 billion. ‘Taking into account that after examining the legal facts revealed in court, in relation to the applicable regulations, the panel concluded that the defendant’s actions constituted freedom of expression and opinion protected by the 1945 Constitution,’ the judge said. As a result, he was acquitted of the single charge brought by the prosecutor and released immediately after the verdict was read in the early hours of Wednesday.