Bahar Smith's Hoax Spread Case Was Transferred To The West Java Prosecutor's Office

Bahar Smith/Photo: Antara

BANDUNG - The case file for the spread of fake news with the suspect Bahar Smith was transferred to the West Java High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati) as a continuation of the legal process against the speaker.

Head of the Legal Information Section of the West Java Prosecutor's Office, Dodi Gazali, said investigators from the West Java Police had handed over the suspect and evidence of the case to the Public Prosecutor. There are two suspects in this case.

"The suspects (handed over) are HB Assayid Bahar Bin Smith and Tatan Rustandi," said Dodi in Bandung, West Java, Thursday, February 17.

According to Dodi, the two suspects were suspected of committing a criminal act in violation of Article 14 paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) and Article 15 of Law Number 1 of 1946 concerning the Criminal Law Regulations and/or Article 28 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 45A paragraph 2 of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Amendments to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1E of the Criminal Code.

As for the evidence that was also submitted in the crime, including a flash disk, 1 unit of laptop, cellphone, video screenshot from the YouTube account TATAN RUSTANDI OFFICIAL entitled "SHOCKING!! HABIB BAHAR BIN SMITH'S LATEST LECTURE IN BANDUNG CITY SEA OF PILGRIMS", as well as other evidence.

"The entire phase II process (submission of suspects and evidence) pays attention to health protocols and all parties involved, in the process have taken an antigen test first," said Dodi.

He said the defendant Tatan Rustandi was detained from 17 February 2022 to 08 March 2022 at the Bandung Polrestabes Detention Center for 20 days. Meanwhile, the defendant Bahar Smith was detained at the West Java Police's Tahti Detention Center for the same length of time.

Meanwhile, Bahar Smith was named a suspect in a hoax case on Monday, December 3, 2021, after Bahar was questioned at the West Java Regional Police for nine hours. In addition, Tatan Rustandi was also named a suspect because he was suspected of being the uploader of a video containing hoaxes by Bahar.