Victim Forgives Suspect, Assault Case in Morowali Dropped

Palu (ANTARA) - The Central Sulawesi High Prosecutors’ Office (Kejati) has approved the termination of an assault prosecution in Morowali Regency through a restorative justice mechanism after the suspect and victim agreed to settle the matter amicably.

“The approval for terminating this prosecution was granted for the case submitted by the Morowali District Prosecutors’ Office after it met the requirements stipulated under the prevailing laws and regulations,” said the Head of the Central Sulawesi High Prosecutors’ Office, Zullikar Tanjung, in a statement in Palu on Tuesday.

He said the case met the juridical and substantive requirements to be resolved through the restorative justice mechanism.

The case originated from a dispute between the suspect and a victim named Komaruddin in Labota Village, Bahodopi Subdistrict, Morowali Regency, on Monday (6 July).

The dispute was triggered by an issue between the suspect’s child and the victim’s child while playing, which then escalated, resulting in Komaruddin sustaining abrasions to his chest from blunt force trauma.

The suspect had earlier been charged under Article 466 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP).

In handling the case, the Morowali District Prosecutors’ Office subsequently submitted a request to terminate the prosecution through the restorative justice mechanism.

Several considerations formed the basis of the request, including that the maximum penalty for the offence was not more than five years’ imprisonment or a fine of at most category III, and that the suspect was a first-time offender.

The case also did not fall under offences excluded from the restorative justice mechanism under Article 82 of Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).

Another consideration was that the victim had recovered and was not seeking damages or medical expenses from the suspect, as the treatment costs had been covered by BPJS Kesehatan, the national health insurance scheme.

During the reconciliation process, the suspect apologised to the victim in person. Both parties then agreed to settle, and the victim stated he would not seek compensation for immaterial losses or medical expenses.

The suspect also expressed his willingness to reform and not repeat the offence.

With these requirements fulfilled, the case was deemed to satisfy the provisions of Articles 79, 80, and 85 of Law Number 20 of 2025, allowing the prosecution to be terminated through the restorative justice mechanism.