Appeal Judge Changes Verdict Of Former Narcotics Unit Barelang To Death Penalty

The appeal judge of the Riau Islands High Court (PT Kepri) canceled the life sentence handed down by the Batam District Court against the former Head of Narcotics Unit I of the Barelang Police, Shigit Sarwo Edhi, in the narcotics evidence collection case.

In addition, the decision of the appeal judge read out at the Riau Islands High Court, Tanjungpinang, changed the decision of the Batam District Court against Shihit Sarwo Edhi from life imprisonment to the death penalty.

"For the defendant, Sigit Sarwo Edhi, the appeal judge decided to cancel the Batam District Court's decision, then amend the Batam District Court's decision from a lifetime to the death penalty," said Riau Islands High Court spokesman Priyanto Lumban Radja as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 4.

The decision of the Riau Islands High Court read out by the panel of judges Ahmad Shalihin, as chairman of the assembly, Bagus Irawan and Priyanto Lumban Radja, as member judges upheld the appeal of the Batam District Attorney who demanded that Shigit Sarwo Edhi be sentenced to death.

The consideration of the appeal judge is to decide the death penalty against Sigit, because he is an intellectual actor in the case of processing drug evidence that occurred in June 2024.

"The consideration is that he (Shigit) is an intellectual actor in this case. And one day he is responsible, he will not be carried out by his subordinates if he does not give orders," said Priyanto.

The Batam District Court on June 4, 2025, sentenced the prosecutor to Shigit Sarwo Edhi, from the death penalty to life imprisonment.

Based on this decision, the Batam District Attorney filed an appeal.

Apart from Shigit, on the same day, the appeal judge of the Riau Islands High Court who read out the appeal verdict against three other former members of Unit I of the Narcotics Unit of the Barelang Police, namely Rahmadi, Ibnu Ma'ruf Rambe, and Fadhila.

Priyanto, who is also a member of the case, said that the appeal decision against the three defendants was to strengthen the Batam District Court's decision, a life sentence.

Meanwhile, Rahmadi and Fadhilah were sentenced to be lighter than the prosecutor's demands, namely the death penalty, while Ibnu Ma'ruf Rambe was decided according to the demands of the public prosecutor.

Tomorrow Tuesday (5/8), the panel of appeal judges will also schedule the reading of the appeal decision for six other former members of the Narcotics Unit of the Barelang Police, namely Kompol Satria Nanda, Junaidi Gunawan, Aryanto, Jaka Surya, Wan Rahmat Kurniawan, and Alex Candra.

The judge also read out the appeal verdicts for the defendants Zulkifli Simanjuntak and Aziz Martua Siregar (during the case).

All defendants were both decided for life by the Batam District Court. But for the defendant Satria Nanda, Wan Rahmat was sentenced to death by the public prosecutor.