Togar Situmorang Appeals After 2.5-Year Sentence in Client Fraud Case

Advocate Togar Situmorang has emphasised that he is pursuing an appeal after being sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in a fraud case. He is accused of deceiving his client. In a written statement, Togar insisted that the matter is not final or legally binding because an appeal has been filed. ‘This case is not final because I have filed an appeal. It would be premature to say I have been proven guilty while the legal process is still ongoing,’ Togar wrote in his response, Friday (22/5/2026).

The statement also serves as Togar’s reply to detikBali’s report titled ‘Proven Fraud: Lawyer Togar Situmorang Given a 2.5-Year Prison Sentence.’ Togar objected to the wording ‘proven’ in both the headline and the content quoted by detikBali from the Denpasar District Court judge’s ruling. Following the ruling, Togar lodged an appeal. Through his response, he asked the media to publish clarifications in a proportionate and balanced manner and emphasised that the case is still being processed in the High Court.

The case originated from a complaint by Fanni Lauren Christie regarding the handling of a dispute over the Double View Mansions project in Pererenan, Badung. In the prosecutors’ indictment, the victim reported losses of up to Rp1.81 billion after handing over funds to Togar for the handling of a legal matter involving an Italian national named Luca Simioni.

The case began to be heard at Denpasar District Court in November 2025. The Prosecutor General’s Office charged Togar with the crime of fraud for allegedly promising to settle the legal matter, but the promised settlement was not completed.

In March 2026, prosecutors demanded a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months for Togar Situmorang. They found that the element of fraud under Article 378 of the Indonesian Criminal Code had been fulfilled and that the defendant’s actions caused the victim losses of around Rp1.81 billion.

The Denpasar District Court bench, led by Judge H. Sayuti, subsequently handed down a 2-year, 6-month sentence on 28 April 2026. In the verdict, the judge stated that the defendant had been proven legally and convincingly guilty of fraud as charged by the prosecutors.

In the reply letter, Togar also highlighted alleged irregularities during the trial. He referred to alleged external interference through an amicus curiae document submitted by Daniar Trisasongko of LBH GP Ansor. He also mentioned alleged political interference by Bali electoral district DPD assembly member Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik.

‘I assess there was psychological pressure on the panel of judges that could influence their independence and impartiality of the proceedings,’ he added.

Togar also denied that the advocate’s honorarium he received could be categorised as proceeds of fraud. He argued that the payments were part of legitimate professional legal services under the Advocates Law Number 18 of 2003.

‘An advocate’s honorarium is a right protected by law, not proceeds of crime as interpreted in the ruling,’ he asserted.

In his reply, Togar emphasised that he continues to practise law professionally while representing client Fanni Lauren Christie. He noted several legal steps taken, from a report to the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police believed to have progressed to the investigation stage, the SP3 decision in Bali Police (Polda Bali) and Badung Resort Police (Polres Badung), to the designation of a suspect in a report to Bogor Police (Polres Bogor).