Three TNI soldiers accused of kidnapping and murdering bank branch manager refuse restitution, saying they have no money and were merely following orders

Jakarta, VIVA – Three accused TNI soldiers in a case of alleged kidnapping and murder of a bank branch manager identified as MIP (37), via their legal counsel, refused to pay restitution as requested by the victim’s family. In the proceedings, the defence lawyers stated that their clients were not able to pay restitution to the heirs of the victim, for various reasons, namely lack of financial means and denying direct involvement in the case. The first accused, Sergeant Mochamad Nasir, through his counsel Captain Zulham, said that he could not meet the restitution claim submitted by the victim’s family. He claimed the accused did not have funds to pay the damages. ‘From the defendant 1 that the defendant 1 could not agree to provide restitution funds because the defendant 1 did not have funds,’ Captain Zulham said during the response of the defendants to the restitution request at Military Court II-08 Jakarta, Thursday. The defence also said Serka Nasir merely carried out tasks ordered by others in the case. Therefore, according to them, the party who should pay restitution is a witness named Dwi Hartono. ‘In this matter, the defendant 1 only performed the tasks given by witness 7. Therefore, in this matter, the one more appropriate to replace the restitution is witness 7 Dwi Hartono who instructed to carry out this work,’ Zulham explained. Meanwhile, the second defendant, Corporal Feri Herianto, also stated that he was not able to pay restitution to the victim’s family. ‘The defendant 2 states that he does not agree to the restitution costs to the heirs because he does not have funds and costs,’ he said. The third defendant, Sergeant Frengky Yaru, through his counsel Lieutenant Colonel CHK Nugroho Muhammad Nur, stated that his client refused the restitution claim on the grounds that he did not feel involved in the case, either directly or indirectly. ‘That the restitution costs proposed by the victim or the heirs through LPSK are not agreed by defendant 3 because according to the court facts, he is not involved either directly or indirectly,’ Nugroho said. The defendant in the case of alleged kidnapping and murder of the bank branch manager identified as MIP (37) is demanded to pay restitution to the victim’s family amounting to Rp5.8 billion.