Lawyer Stands Trial for Alleged Extortion of Young Entrepreneur in Central Jakarta

Jakarta - A lawyer, Bangun Paulus Tudungta, underwent his first hearing on Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court over an alleged extortion case involving a young entrepreneur, Vinson Leo Carlius. Public Prosecutor Andri Saputra stated that the case originated from a dispute over money belonging to the defendant, which was allegedly taken by Vinson, before escalating into an alleged extortion. “In essence, we have prepared an alternative indictment. We will examine the facts and evidence together during the trial,” Andri said at the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday. In the indictment, the prosecutor stated that the defendant allegedly demanded money from Vinson under the threat of reporting him to the police for suspected theft. The amount demanded reportedly changed several times, starting from Rp500 million, then decreasing to Rp200 million, before finally being agreed at Rp300 million. Beyond the threat of a police report, Vinson was allegedly taken to several locations, from the Benyamin Sueb area to the Cikampek Toll Road rest area. During the journey, Vinson claimed to have been subjected to pressure and threats of physical violence. The prosecutor has prepared an alternative indictment. The second charge is under Article 483 letter a of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, regarding alleged extortion with the threat of revealing a secret. In this case, the threat involved reporting an alleged criminal act of theft to the police, which carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. The prosecution has also prepared more than 10 witnesses should the case proceed to the evidentiary stage. In addition to witness testimony, the prosecutors have secured digital evidence and documents, including screenshots of conversations, voice recordings, and proof of transfers related to the case. “There are more than 10 witnesses, but we will select the most relevant and strongest testimonies to support the indictment,” Andri said. Meanwhile, the defendant’s legal counsel, Teger Bangun, argued that the indictment was vague and did not fully represent the facts of the case. He highlighted that parts of the conversation history between his client and Vinson were not fully included in the indictment. On 13 February 2026, there was communication regarding a request for the return of money related to Vinson’s debt. “There are facts about the request for the return of money over the complainant’s debt which we consider important, but these points were not fully included in the indictment,” Teger said. The next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday (19/8) with the agenda of hearing the exception or objection from the defendant’s side.