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Lawyer says lawmaker mistaken for brother
The lawyer of lawmaker Herman Hery, who has been under fire after being accused of beating up a couple in South Jakarta, said the victims have misidentified the perpetrator, as it was his client’s brother who was involved in the incident on June 10
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he lawyer of lawmaker Herman Hery, who has been under fire after being accused of beating up a couple in South Jakarta, said the victims have misidentified the perpetrator, as it was his client’s brother who was involved in the incident on June 10.
Lawyer Petrus Selestinus confirmed that the Rolls-Royce, which the perpetrator was reportedly driving, belonged to Herman, but it was his client’s younger brother and his friends that were using the car on the day of the incident.
“It is not true that Pak Herman Hery was the perpetrator of the alleged assault. It was Pak Herman’s younger brother and his friends that were in the car,” Petrus said as reported by kompas.com.
However, National Police traffic unit vehicle registration and identification director Brig. Gen. Halim Pagarra said the car belonged to a private company.
Petrus said Herman was not in the Rolls-Royce, which was identified by one of the victim’s, Ronny Yuniarto Kosasih, when the alleged assault happened.
Ronny said the car was behind his when he was ticketed for driving in a Transjakarta bus lane on June 10 on Jl. Artieri Pondok Indah in South Jakarta.
According to Ronny, Herman got out of the Rolls-Royce and allegedly beat him up after he was ticketed. It was reported that Ronny questioned the police officers who did not ticket the Rolls-Royce’s driver.
Ronny filed a report against Herman with the South Jakarta Police on June 11 for allegedly assaulting him and his wife.
Petrus said the victim might have mistaken Herman as the perpetrator because of the Rolls-Royce’s plate number.
“After we observed the news reports, [we think] the victim may have come to the conclusion that it was Pak Herman who allegedly assaulted him because the car’s plate [belonged to Herman],” he said.
He said his client was in the United States when the incident happened.
Petrus did not confirm whether there had been a discussion between Herman and his younger brother about the incident.
He said his client would report Ronny to the police for defamation.
“Check thoroughly, cross-check with the police first, do not accuse people [of a crime] without evidence, OK?” the Indonesian Democratic party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician wrote in a WhatsApp message to tempo.co. on Thursday.
Herman later responded to the inquiry regarding his response to the alleged victim’s incriminating statement.
Separately, the House of Representatives ethics council said it will coordinate with the police to confirm whether Herman Hery was behind the incident.
“Because the case has been reported to the police, we will coordinate with them to check whether the perpetrator was a House member or not,” council head Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said.
He said the council had tried to contact Herman when the news of the alleged assault broke, but Herman had yet to respond.
“[Herman] cannot be contacted yet,” Dasco said, adding that the council would handle the case if it was proven that Herman was behind the attack.
Ronny’s lawyer, Febby Sagita, said the alleged attack had besmirched the reputation of the House, thus it should be dealt with as a deterrent so no lawmaker will commit a similar crime, which reportedly caused the victims’ children to suffer trauma.(ami)
