Parliamentary Commission III Member Demands Transparent and Professional Legal Process for Sailor Fandi
Jakarta — A member of Parliament’s Commission III, Hasbiallah Ilyas, has called for the legal proceedings against Fandi Ramadhan, a sailor (anak buah kapal) facing the death penalty in connection with an alleged two-tonne methamphetamine smuggling case, to be conducted with complete transparency and professionalism.
“We are demanding that there be no manipulation by law enforcement officials in this case,” Ilyas said in Jakarta on Friday.
He further requested that law enforcement officials handling the case be summoned to Parliament’s Senayan building to provide public explanations. According to him, such a summons is part of Parliament’s oversight function to ensure that due process of law is upheld, given that Fandi faces a death sentence and the state is obligated to guarantee that the investigation and trial proceedings are objective and free from criminalisation attempts.
“We want to ensure there are no procedural violations and no fabrication. If he is indeed guilty, he must naturally be prosecuted according to law. However, if there are irregularities, the state is obliged to clarify the situation,” he said.
The legislator from Parliament’s law-focused commission further expressed support for uncompromising drug enforcement efforts. Nevertheless, he cautioned that each legal enforcement step must remain within the established legal framework and be consistent with the spirit of the new Criminal Code.
“Transparency is essential because this case involves serious legal and humanitarian consequences. Legal enforcement must not undermine justice itself,” he said.
It is known that the Batam State Prosecutor’s Office has sought the death penalty for six defendants in the methamphetamine smuggling case involving two tonnes of the drug transported by the vessel Sea Dragon Terawa in Riau Islands waters. The six defendants consist of two Thai nationals—Weerepat Phongwan, alias Mr Pong, and Teerapong Lekpradube—as well as four Indonesian nationals: Fandi Ramadhan, Richard Halomoan, Leo Candra Samosir, and Hasiholan Samosir.
In the indictment, the prosecutor stated that the prosecution examined ten witnesses and three expert witnesses during the trial. Evidence seized includes 67 cardboard boxes wrapped in clear plastic, with 66 boxes containing 30 plastic packets of green Chinese tea packaging that held methamphetamine, and one box containing 20 plastic packets of green Chinese tea packaging holding crystalline methamphetamine powder. The net weight totalled 1,995,139 grams (approximately two tonnes).
“As public prosecutors in this case, we conclude that the defendants have been proven beyond reasonable doubt to have committed drug offences without authorisation or contrary to law, as stipulated in Article 114(2) read together with Article 132(1) of Law Number 35 of 2009, in accordance with the public prosecutor’s primary indictment,” said public prosecutor Gutirio Kurniawan.
The public prosecutor’s rationale for seeking the maximum sentence for the defendants is that their actions do not support the government programme for combating illicit drug trafficking, they have caused harm to the nation’s youth, and they are involved in an international narcotics network.