Refly Harun Calls Arrest of Roy Suryo and Doctor Tifa Unprofessional

Legal counsel for telematics expert Roy Suryo and Doctor Tifa (Tifauziah Tyassuma), Refly Harun, has lodged a strong protest against the actions of investigators from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police’s General Criminal Investigation Directorate. The protest arose after the police arrested and detained his two clients on Friday (19/6). Refly considers the police action unprofessional. According to him, the case ensnaring his clients exists in a legal grey area, concerning alleged defamation and slander over the authenticity of a former head of state’s academic certificate, a matter which remains disputed. “We are mounting a defence for our clients, so what the Jakarta Metropolitan Police investigators did was, in my opinion, very unprofessional and we protest strongly,” Refly said at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters on Friday (19/6). The constitutional law expert added that detention in general criminal cases, such as murder or corruption, is very reasonable. However, for the case faced by Roy Suryo and Doctor Tifa, the legal process is currently still at the stage of material proof. “What if the certificate is indeed genuinely fake? Moreover, the team hunting for fake certificates has already reported several parties suspected of being involved in its production. So, this is in the process of being proven, and it is not yet certain that our clients are wrong. I am 99.9 percent sure the certificate is fake,” Refly asserted. Refly further regretted the timing of the arrests, which he deemed inappropriate. He revealed that Doctor Tifa was arrested in the morning, just before she was due to take her dissertation examination or academic results seminar. “At 8 a.m. she was supposed to take the exam, at 7 a.m. she was arrested. In fact, she was already preparing to go to a location for the exam,” Refly disclosed. Meanwhile, the arrest of former Youth and Sports Minister Roy Suryo reportedly occurred in the early hours after he had finished an activity in Bandung, West Java. Refly said the arrest was carried out suddenly when Roy Suryo had just completed his dawn prayers. “Roy said he had no time for anything else, fortunately he still had time for dawn prayers. So, he hadn’t showered, wasn’t dressed properly, and was then taken to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police. Because both our clients did not want to cause a fuss, they eventually just went along without signing the arrest warrant,” Refly stated.