Light Verdict Defendant Of Deadly JLB Toll Accident Reaps Criticism: Only 1 Month In Prison

JAKARTA The verdict of one month in prison against Albert kolekang, a defendant in the case of a fatal accident on the Jakarta Lingkar Barat (JLB) toll road that killed Hessel Nathaniel, drew the spotlight. The verdict of the panel of judges at the West Jakarta District Court is considered too light and far from a sense of justice for victims.

In the verdict published through the West Jakarta District Court Case Tracking Information System (SIPP), Friday, August 22, Albert was proven negligent and caused death. However, the judge only sentenced him to one month in prison, lower than the demands of the public prosecutor (JPU) who asked for two months in prison.

The deadly tragedy occurred on August 25, 2024. At that time, Albert was driving a BMW sedan belonging to Hessel after attending a birthday party in the Pantai Indah Kapuk area, North Jakarta.

His car hit a truck on the JLB toll road, causing all passengers to be injured. Hessel eventually died after three days of being hospitalized.

The attorney for the victim's family, Okta Heriawan, assessed that the decision hurt justice. "The version that was handed down against Defendant Albert airingkang is one of many judicial portraits in Indonesia that ignores the fulfillment of the rights and a sense of justice for victims," he said in a written statement.

According to him, this verdict shows an error in interpreting the law by law enforcement officials. "Moreover, the victim died.

"This is a bad precedent for judicial institutions and further weakens public confidence in the performance of law enforcement officials," he added.

This case has re-opened public debate regarding the consistency of court verdicts in traffic accidents, especially when the death toll, while the sentence imposed is deemed incomparable to the impact it has.