Appeal Rejected, Agus Bentung Is Still Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

The defendant, I Wayan Agus Suartama alias Agus Bentung (right) after the trial for the verdict of the sexual harassment case at the Mataram District Court, NTB, Tuesday 27 May 2025. (ANTARA PHOTO-Dhimas Budi Pratama)

JAKARTA - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) High Court (PN) upheld the decision of the first instance court which sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison for sexual harassment case I Wayan Agus Suartama alias Agus Bentung, who is a person with a shortage.

Spokesperson for the Mataram District Court Kelik Trimargo confirmed the decision at the appeal level for the defendant Agus Suartama.

"Yes, that's right. The decision was decided on July 16, which was decided and uploaded directly from the high court at SIPP (the case tracing information system) of the Mataram District Court," he said in Mataram, Friday, July 18, which was confiscated by Antara.

Following up on the decision, Kelik said that his party was obliged to convey it to the defendant and the public prosecutor.

"The plan is that today is July 18, we will inform the appeal decisions to the parties," he said.

Kelik said that the parties had seven days after receiving a copy of the decision to file further legal action.

"So, further legal remedies can be submitted for seven days, that is when the parties accept the verdict," he said.

According to the data stated in the SIPP Mataram District Court, Agus Bentung's appeal decision on July 16, 2025 is registered with the number: 146/PID.SUS/2025/PT MTR.

In the verdict, the panel of appeal judges chaired by Dewi Perwitasari with members Suko Harsono and Sumantono stated that they accepted the appeal request of the defendant and the public prosecutor.

The appeal panel of judges also upheld the decision of the Mataram District Court number: 23/Pid.Sus/2025/PN Mtr dated 27 May 2025 which was requested to appeal the parties. It was also stated that the defendant should remain in custody.

In the first instance court decision, the defendant Agus Bentung was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a fine of Rp. 100 million, subsidiary to 3 months in prison.

The panel of judges handed down the verdict by stating that the defendant had been proven guilty of committing the crime of sexual abuse more than once to several victims in accordance with the prosecutor's demands.

By stating this, the judge determined that the defendant's actions had violated the primary indictment of the public prosecutor, namely Article 6 letter c in conjunction with Article 15 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning the Crime of Sexual Violence.

Previously, the public prosecutor demanded that the panel of judges impose a verdict against Agus Bentung with a sentence of 12 years and a fine of Rp. 100 million, subsidiary to 3 months in prison.