T

he legal case against celebrity Raffi Ahmad over alleged possession and use of drugs is essentially not any different from any other cases, and it should remain that way.

The case against the television personality should have proceeded in accordance with the Criminal Code Procedures as the litigation guidelines and the Criminal Code as the legal foundation.

Instead of simply following the two legal references. Raffi had apparently done a 'backroom deal' to secure his temporary release from detention and been placed under house arrest since April 27. Raffi agreed to fire his defense lawyer Hotma Sitompul as part of the package, in exchange for his release.

Raffi was arrested along with 16 others on Jan. 27, when the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) raided his house in South Jakarta in the early hours of the morning. BNN agents found two marijuana cigarettes and 14 methylone (MDMC) capsules in the house, which the agency claimed were Raffi's property.

Clinically marijuana can cause the user to feel euphoric, high or relaxed. It can alter the perception of time, cause anxiety, fear, distrust and panic. Long-term use of the substance in high doses can occasionally lead to acute behavioral problems. MDMC can cause the user to feel paranoid or hallucinate and in rare cases can cause death through cerebral vascular issues or a heart attack.

The case against Raffi had been controversial since the very beginning, but particularly after a BNN doctor stated that Raffi had consumed methylone for a long time and should be treated at the agency's rehabilitation center in Lido, Sukabumi.

The timing of the recommendation for rehabilitation was controversial, coming as Raffi's initial 20-day detention was about to end.

Worse yet is the assertion that the suspect did not receive any treatment at all during his three months at the center.

His lawyer's attack of the controversial medical examination and the subsequent recommendation for rehabilitation at the center had apparently angered the BNN. The agency had reportedly been in a difficult situation and under pressure to build the case against him. The problem with the case is that it really does not exist. The 2009 Narcotics Law does not include MDMC among its 39 illegal substances, making the legal case against Raffi a weak one as it involved two small marijuana cigarettes, while the case for 'rehabilitation' was even weaker.

Instead of going ahead with the legal fight for his freedom, the TV presenter eventually resorted to a 'secret' settlement of his case. It is, of course, his personal right to investigate every possible avenue in his quest for freedom after months of unclear legal status.

Raffi's success to breathe fresh air outside the walls of the rehabilitation center had come at the expense of the rule of law. Specifically, the deal only augmented the list of cases of negligence toward the due process of law and the universal principle of equality before the law.

It is most regrettable that Raffi eventually agreed to such skullduggery as it, once again, displays the absolute abnegation of justice in this country.