Prosecutor's Account of Brownies Given to Amsal Sitepu, Denies Intimidation

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Prosecutor Wira Arizona from the Karo District Prosecutor’s Office has denied intimidating videographer Amsal Sitepu in the detention centre by sending him brownies. Wira explained the chronology of giving brownies to Amsal, which he claimed is part of the culture in the prosecutorial environment. “I will explain the chronology regarding the alleged intimidation that was stated. First, I will explain regarding the arrival at Tanjung Gusta during the examination agenda of the suspect Mr Amsal,” said Wira at the Commission III DPR meeting, DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (2/4/2026). At that time, Wira was accompanied by two of his staff, while Amsal was not accompanied by his legal counsel. “At that time, the legal advisor was unable to attend due to certain matters that I cannot mention here,” he said. The brownies were handed over by Wira’s staff, not Wira himself. “And there was no conversation at all. With permission, I also had no intention whatsoever. We were purely prioritising humanity and conscience,” Wira emphasised. Wira then showed photos since 2024 where prosecutors have a culture of giving brownies to detainees. He mentioned that detainees usually ask prosecutors for food because they lack food while detained. “Because this request initially came from the detainees, Sir. Because these people asked for help due to lack of food, like that, Sir,” said Wira. Wira also denied ever intimidating Amsal. “No, Sir, this is not about food. Regarding the narrative earlier, word for word earlier. Earlier Mr Amsal repeated again, there was a narrative saying ‘just follow the flow’, and so on,” said Habiburokhman. “Yes, I did not say that, Sir,” added Wira.