Restorative Justice Approved For Case 500 Duck In Sidrap, Suspect Darman Released

Deputy Head of South Sulawesi Robert M Tacoy (left two) accompanied by his officials followed the application for Restorative Justice (RJ) from the Pinrang District Attorney virtually for the theft of 500 ducks. (ANTARA)

Deputy Head of the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor's Office (Wakajati), Robert M. Tacoy, finally granted the Restorative Justice (RJ) request submitted by the Pinrang District Attorney (Kejari) regarding the case of detaining 500 stolen ducks involving the suspect Darman Dama alias Sammang in Sidenreng Rappang Regency (Sidrap).

"We have reviewed information from victims, perpetrators, community leaders, and investigators. Based on Prosecutor's Regulation Number 15 of 2020 regarding the termination of prosecution on the basis of restorative justice, this case is considered to meet the requirements," said Robert as quoted by ANTARA.

Robert explained that after going through the mediation process between the victim and the perpetrator, a peace agreement was reached. "The victim has apologized to the suspect. Therefore, on behalf of the leadership, we approved the request to stop prosecution through the RJ mechanism," he continued.

With the approval of RJ, Wakajati asked the Head of the Pinrang District Attorney's Office, Agung Bagus Kade Kusimantara, along with his staff to immediately complete the administration of the case and release the suspect.

He also emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity during this process. "I remind you that the handling of this case is carried out without any transactional practice in order to maintain the trust of the leadership and the community," said Robert.

Previously, the Pinrang Kejari had submitted a RJ application in a virtual expose on behalf of the suspect Darman, who was charged with Article 363 paragraph (1) of the 4th Criminal Code related to the crime of theft by weighting the victim named Hamzah bin H. Nanrang.

The incident occurred on May 13, 2025, when Darman, who was in the Sidrap area, was offered a number of ducks by a person named Puang Usu, who is currently on the wanted list (DPO). Darman then contacted witness Pandi to provide an open tub vehicle to transport the ducks from the cage which turned out to belong to the victim.

At night, Darman and Puang Usu and Pandi came to the cage and took about 500 ducks. The Ducks were then transferred to Darman's cage in Sidrap. Darman admitted that he did not know that the ducks belonged to Hamzah, who then reported this incident to the police. As a result of this incident, the victim suffered a loss of around Rp. 17.5 million.

The RJ application was submitted because Darman was the perpetrator of a criminal act for the first time (not a recidivist), as evidenced by the results of a search in the Case Investigation Information System (SIPP). The peace process was carried out within 14 days after the transfer of the phase II file.

Both the suspect and the victim have agreed to peace. Darman personally apologized to the victim's family, and the victim's family had also accepted an apology and did not object if the legal process was not continued.

In addition, humanitarian considerations are also a factor supporting RJ's decision. Darman is known to be the backbone of the family, working as an itik farmer in Mojong Bendoro Village, Watang Sidrap Village. He has a wife and two children who are still in school aged 16 and 11 years, respectively. His income as a farmer is an average of IDR 110 thousand per day.