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)