Petrus files new lawsuit against city police

Petrus files new lawsuit against city police

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyer Petrus Bala Pattyona filed a new lawsuit
against the city police at the South Jakarta District Court on
Thursday, seeking Rp 10 billion (US$1,351,350) compensation for
unlawful arrest last December.

The suit named the city police headquarters as the first
defendant, and city police detectives chief Col. Alex Bambang
Riatmodjo and chief of the general section at the city police
detectives corps, Lt. Col. Syahrul Mamma, as second and third
defendant respectively.

"The South Jakarta district court had issued a pretrial ruling
which declared the December arrest as unlawful. But it has yet to
issue a ruling on the compensation for the unlawful arrest, which
defamed my integrity as a lawyer," Petrus said.

Petrus was accompanied by fellow lawyers grouped under the
Defenders Team for Lawyers' Honor.

The district court issued a ruling on Jan. 3, declaring the
city police's arrest of the lawyer on Dec. 14 as unlawful.

In the pretrial ruling, the court ordered the city police to
pay a compensation to the plaintiff of Rp 5,000 for the unlawful
arrest.

Several plainclothes detectives arrested Petrus on Dec. 14,
shortly after the latter attended a pretrial lawsuit filed by his
client, Mirafsur Khan, the father of drug suspect Zarina
Mirafsur.

Petrus was accused of submitting a fake letter of testimony
from Zarina's alleged accomplice Ahian Santoso, alias Yeye, to
Judge I Gde Putra Yadnya in a hearing in early December.

In the lawsuit, Petrus also demanded the three defendants pay
a material loss of Rp 15 million, which is considered to be the
administrative fee to proceed with the case.

Petrus also demanded the defendants issue a statement of
apology and rehabilitate his name through local and international
media. (asa)