Taji Bundar Building Hits Freedom Of Voice?

JAKARTA - The arrest of the Director of TV News, Tian Bahtiar by the Attorney General's Office for alleged obstruction of justice in corruption cases has caused mixed reactions. Many criticized, as a form of threat to press freedom and did little appreciate the prosecutor's steps. This situation caused a complex opinion war between law enforcement, press freedom, and the role of journalists in the legal process.

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) confirmed that Tian Bahtiar's arrest was purely legal, not news. It was echoed by the Head of the AGO, Harli Siregar many times, on various occasions for questions related to the arrest of the JakTV news director.

In a meeting between the AGO and the Press Council, at the Attorney General's Main Building, Jakarta, on Tuesday afternoon, April 22, 2025, the two parties agreed to respect each other's ongoing legal process.

"Please continue to work and criticize. Criticism is part of journalistic work," said Harli Siregar, who also emphasized that the Prosecutor's Office was not anti-critic.

There Is No Relationship With TB Cases With Freedom Of Voice And Opinion

After undergoing a marathon examination, Tuesday morning, April 22, 2025, Tian Bahriar wore a typical pink AGO vest. Both hands were handcuffed, flanked by several AGO officers to the detention car which had been parked for a long time on the edge of the inspection building.

The results of the examination were announced shortly after the speed of the prisoner's car that took Tian Bahtiar to the Salemba Detention Center (Rutan) at the Attorney General's Office. He was locked up for the next 20 days

Tian was immediately detained after being named a suspect in the prosecution investigation, until the court in the alleged corruption case of PT Timah, imports of sugar and exports of crude palm oil (CPO), and two other suspects, namely Marcella Santoso and Junaedi Saibih as advocates.

Tian et al are suspected of violating Article 21 of Law 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 to 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The Director of Investigation (Dirdik) of the Attorney General's Office, Abdul Qohar, said that Tian Bahtiar was suspected of having committed an evil conspiracy with Marcella Santoso and Junaedi Saabih to interfere with the handling of the case. Tian Bahtiar's role, changed people's opinion through news content on JakTV about the corruption case of tin commodities in the IUP region at PT Timah and the sugar import case with the suspect Tom Lembong.

Tian Bahtiar's actions were included in the obstruction of investigations, prosecutions, or examinations in court.

"There is an evil consensus made by MS, JS, together with TB as Director of the JakTV News to prevent, obstruct, or thwart directly or indirectly in the handling of corruption cases in the tin commodity trading system in the IUP area at PT Timah and corruption in sugar importation activities on behalf of Suspect Tom Lembong. Both in investigation, prosecution, and examination in court," Qohar said at a press conference at the AGO, on Tuesday morning, April 22, 2025.

Article 21:

Article 21

Anyone who deliberately prevents, obstructs, or thwarts directly or indirectly the investigation, prosecution, and examination at trial of the suspect and defendant or witnesses in a corruption case, shall be sentenced to a minimum imprisonment of 3 (three) years and a maximum of 12 (twelve) years and or a fine of at least Rp. 150,000,000.00 (one hundred and fifty million rupiah) and a maximum of Rp. 600,000,000.00 (six hundred million rupiah).

Meanwhile, Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code reads:

Convicted as the perpetrator of a criminal act:

1. Those who do, who order to do, and who participate in doing actions; 2. Those who by giving or promising something by abusing power or dignity, by violence, threats or neglect, or by giving opportunities, facilities or information, intentionally encouraging others to commit actions.

Creating Negative Content Of The Prosecutor's Office

Abdul Qohar said Tian Bahtiar received IDR 478.5 million to create news content cornering the prosecutor's office, receiving orders from Marcella Santoso and Junaedi Saabih to create negative content about the prosecutor's office in handling the two cases.

"Meanwhile, the process is currently ongoing in court at a cost of Rp478,500,000 which was paid by Suspect MS and JS to TB which was carried out in the following way. The suspects MS and JS ordered the suspect TB to create negative news and negative content that cornered the Prosecutor's Office regarding the handling of a quo cases, both in investigations, prosecutions, and in trials," he said.

"And the suspect TB published it on social media, online media, and JakTV News, so that the Prosecutor's Office was considered negative, and had harmed the rights of the suspect or defendant handled by Suspect MS and suspect JS as legal counsel for the suspect or Defendant," he added.

Tian Bahtiar reported the methodology of calculating state losses according to Junaedi Saabih and Marcella Santoso regarding the two cases. The calculation of losses as reported on JakTV is a lie.

"TB then made the methodology of calculating state losses in handling the a quo case carried out by the Prosecutor's Office which was untrue and misleading. Then, the suspect TB put it in the news on a number of social media and online media," explained Abdul Qohar.

Tian Bahtiar, continued Dirdik Jampidsus AGO, also supports all 'inFORmation' efforts carried out by MS and JS. The way to do this is to cover demonstration activities with an inevitative naras about the prosecutor's office which is suspected of being paid for by them.

Socialization And Work Patterns In The Style Of Tian Bahtiar

"Suspect MS and Suspect JS organized and financed seminars, podcasts, and talk shows in several online media, by directing negative narratives in the news to influence the evidence of cases at trial, then covered by the suspect TB and broadcast them through JakTV and JakTV officials, including in TikTok and YouTube media. The suspect TB produces TV shows through dialogue, talk shows, and panel discussions on several campuses covered by JakTV," he said.

For all of this, the AGO named Tian Bahtiar as a suspect. Abdul Qohar said, what Tian et al were trying to lead public opinion with negative news so that the investigator's concentration was disrupted.

"The actions taken by the suspects MS, JS, and TB, are intended to form public opinion with negative news that corner the Prosecutor's Office and Jampidsus in handling cases of corruption in tin trading procedures and sugar trading procedures both during investigation and at trial which is currently underway, so that the prosecutor's office is considered negative for the community, and the case is not followed up, or is not proven in court," explained Abdul Qohar.

Their goal, he continued, was very clear by forming negative opinions, as if what the investigators handled was not true, disturbing the investigator's concentration, so they hoped that their case could be released or at least disrupt the concentration of investigations.

Attorney General's Office investigators saw their criminal acts from the meansrea or their malicious intentions. There has been sufficient preliminary evidence of TB's malicious intent in obstructing investigations and prosecutions.

One of them is Tian Bahtiar who received a fee of almost 500 million from a lawyer who is also a suspect, to create negative content related to the handling of cases at the prosecutor's office and court.

Sufficient preliminary evidence, then the investigation and determination of the suspect Tian Bahtiar, and the lawyer together.

Although the Prosecutor's Office insists it is not anti-criticism, this case remains a test. Is this true purely a matter of law, or is it a disguised threat to critical journalists? The question will be answered in court. There, experts will argue about whether Tian Bahtiar's actions fulfill the elements that hinder the investigation that was suspected of him.