Lawyer Denies Business Dispute Sparked Alleged Assault in Menteng

A woman identified by the initials USP, also known as T (31), has been arrested by police for allegedly assaulting her colleague, MHA, at a residence in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta. USP’s lawyer, Bayu Perdana, has denied that his client was involved in a dispute triggered by business problems.

‘The narrative of the reporting seems to suggest that the alleged criminal act of assault committed by USP was motivated by business, with the news reporting that the victim is a Director and USP is a Commissioner at an IT company. In fact, the victim and the alleged perpetrator are good friends who have known each other for more than 10 years since university,’ Bayu stated in a right of reply received by detikcom on Tuesday (23/6/2026).

Police are still investigating the case to gather sufficient evidence for further legal proceedings. Bayu said USP’s side is also awaiting the results of the police investigation.

‘Currently, this case is still in the investigation stage, and we are waiting for evidence from the POLRI forensic laboratory that can prove the alleged criminal act of assault committed by USP. As is known, under Article 142 of the 2025 Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), a suspect has the right to refuse to provide information regarding the charges against them. Therefore, investigators cannot rely on the suspect’s statement because the suspect has the right to remain silent. Investigators must be able to find a connection between the victim’s statement and the existing evidence to prove the criminal act of assault committed by USP,’ he said.

‘As long as the matter is still under investigation, USP must be presumed innocent in accordance with the principle of presumption of innocence. This is in line with Article 91 of the 2025 KUHAP, which prohibits investigators from taking actions that create a presumption of guilt,’ he added.

Police previously reported that a man with the initials MHA sustained several stab wounds at a house in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta. Initially, MHA was said to have been injured after being assaulted by two robbers, but it later emerged that MHA was attacked by his colleague, USP alias T.

Police confirmed there was no robbery. Officers conducted an in-depth investigation and discovered that T had provided false information regarding the condition of the victim, MHA.

‘After we investigated, we found that there were no two people entering the house; rather, the perpetrator of the assault on MHA was actually T herself,’ said Central Jakarta Metro Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKBP Roby Heri Saputra on Friday (19/6).

Police revealed that the perpetrator and victim knew each other. The woman, T, is a commissioner, while the male victim, MHA, is the president director of the same IT company.

‘So the victim and the perpetrator are colleagues who jointly own a company in the IT sector. The victim is the president director of the company, and the perpetrator is the commissioner,’ Roby stated.

The perpetrator admitted to attacking the victim indiscriminately out of frustration. She had harboured a grudge against the victim since 2020 because he frequently hurt her feelings and was considered slow in his work.

‘The motive conveyed by the suspect so far is that she felt annoyed and resentful towards MHA because, in their association and collaboration from 2020 until now, the perpetrator was considered slow in working and often said things that hurt the perpetrator’s feelings,’ he disclosed.

Nevertheless, authorities are continuing further investigations, including exploring other possible motives for the assault.

‘However, we are still investigating this motive, whether this is the only one or if there are other motives,’ he explained.

Evidence secured includes a knife, cloth with bloodstains, pieces of the victim’s clothing, a power supply, a hammer, a nitrogen cylinder smeared with blood, a hose unit for the nitrogen cylinder, a stun gun or electric shock device, and an iron wok.

As a result of this incident, USP has been charged under Article 459 in conjunction with Article 17 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code (KUHP) concerning attempted premeditated murder, as well as Article 466 of the KUHP concerning assault. The perpetrator faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years or life imprisonment, with the penalty for attempted murder being two-thirds of the 20-year term.