Peti Setiawan Free, Police Headquarters Evaluates West Java Police Investigators

Peti Setiawan when he was a suspect in Vina's murder was led by the Police at the West Java Police Headquarters (ANTARA)

The National Police Headquarters responded to the decision of the Bandung District Court (PN) which granted the pretrial lawsuit for the determination of the suspect Pegi Setiawan in the murder case of Vina and Eky.

The Director of General Crimes (Dirtipidum) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police Brigadier General Djuhandhani Rahardjo stated that his party respects the decision.

"Of course, with what is today's decision, as law enforcers we must submit to the existing decisions," he told reporters, Monday, July 8.

Djuhandhani said the decision would be a joint evaluation for the police handling the case.

"This is of course our joint evaluation, we will also evaluate the existing investigators, how the process takes place," he said.

"However, in principle, as stated by karpenmas, we will submit to the existing judge's decision," he continued.

When asked about the possibility of Pegi being the victim of the wrong arrest, Djuhandhani admitted that his party was still investigating the case.

"Although I say that this decision means wrongful arrest or not, we are still seeing it," he said.

As previously reported, the sole judge of the Bandung District Court, Eman Sulaeman, granted the pretrial lawsuit filed by Pegi Setiawan. There were several considerations until the judge finally declared the status of suspect Pegi Setiawan invalid.

The judge said that the West Java Regional Police did not carry out investigations according to procedures, including not examining Pegi before determining him as a suspect. The judge assessed that the actions taken by the West Java Regional Police were not in accordance with the Regulation of the National Police Chief Number 14 of 2020 concerning Management of Criminal Investigations, and Regulation of the National Police Chief Number 6 of 2019 concerning Criminal Investigation.

Based on this consideration, the judge stated that the determination of Pegi as a suspect by the West Java Regional Police was not in accordance with the procedure and was invalid according to the applicable law.

"Declaring the actions of the respondent as a suspect in premeditated murder is invalid and not based on law," Eman said in a verdict hearing at the Bandung District Court (PN), West Java, Monday.