Kombes Pol Julihan Muntaha and Kompol Agustinus Chandra Pietama.

progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – The Kapolda North Sumatera, Irjen Pol Whisnu Hermawan, has suspended the Kabid Propam, Kombes Pol Julihan Muntaha, and the Kasubbid Paminal, Kompol Agustinus Chandra Pietama. The two officers were suspended due to a viral video uploaded by the fake account @tan_jhonson88 on TikTok. The video content depicts alleged extortion by the Kabid Propam and his staff.

The Head of Public Relations of the Polda North Sumatera, Kombes Pol Ferry Walintuka, stated in a statement that the @tan_jhonson88 account on TikTok was discovered to be fake after his team conducted a check on the account’s owner.

“After we checked, the account turned out to be fake or anonymous. However, we will still investigate the veracity of the post accusing the Kabid Propam of the Polda North Sumatera of extorting several police officers who were being questioned by the Polda North Sumatra Propam Sector,” he explained on Monday, (24/11).

The Irwasda of the Polda North Sumatera, Kombes Pol Nanang Masbudhi, is also known to have formed an audit team to determine the truth behind the content of the viral video.

“As a swift response to the viral news from the @tan_jhonson88 account, which reported allegations of abuse of authority, the Polda North Sumatera have formed an audit team with a specific purpose,” he said on the same day.

He also stated, that he had instructed the Acting Head of the Polda North Sumatera Propam Sector, Kombes Pol Famudin, to lead the audit team.

“The team, led by Kombes Pol Famudin, will clarify and verify the news to determine whether it is true or not,” he added.

Interrogated Separately

The two officers suspected of extortion will undergo separate examinations. Kombes Pol Julihan Muntaha was questioned at Polri Headquarters, while Kompol Agustinus Chandra Pietama was questioned at the Polda North Sumatera.

The Head of Public Relations for the Polda North Sumatera, Kombes Pol Ferry Walintukan, explained that the questioning was deliberately conducted at separate locations to maintain independence and professionalism in the investigation of the case.

“The separate questioning locations were taken to ensure the process runs more professionally, independently, and free from potential conflicts of interest,” said Kombes Pol Ferry.

However, citing a statement by a Polri officer who served under Kompol Agustinus Chandra Pietama during his time at the Polda Riau, the questioning at two different locations raised suspicions. According to the officer, while serving at the Polda Riau, Kompol Agustinus Chandra was a sadistic officer who often pressured and “slit the throats” of suspects for money.

“Honestly, Kompol Agustinus Chandra Pietama’s attitude is not good. He does like to extort, but he plays it nice and smooth. He doesn’t directly confront people. So, the current incident of him being suspended from the Polda North Sumatra is very natural and appropriate. I was just expressing my feelings, nothing more. Why didn’t he just have his secrets questioned at the Polri Headquarters so that all his secrets would be revealed there,” said the officer, whose identity the author has deliberately withheld for security reasons.

Responding to this, the Executive Director of the Indonesian Police Strategic Studies Institute (Lemkapi), Edi Saputra Hasibuan, told progresifjaya.id, that separate questioning locations were not actually a problem as long as they were conducted professionally and transparently. He continued, explaining that the questioning of Kombes Pol Julihan at Polri Headquarters was based on rank. Since he already held the rank of Kombes Pol, the person questioned must automatically be a Brigjen Pol. Meanwhile, Kompol Agustinus Chandra was questioned at the Polda North Sumatra because there were many questioners with higher ranks than him.

“Yes, so it’s just that simple logic. A Kombes Pol must be questioned by a Brigjen Po or Irjen Pol, and those are at Polri Headquarters. Meanwhile, a Kompol is questioned by an AKBP or Kombes, and there are many of those at the Polda,” explained the former commissioner of the Kompolnas.

Regarding a statement from a Polri officer regarding the personality or attitude of Kompol Agustinus Chandra, who is said to be fond of soft extortion, Edi Hasibuan did not condemn it. He stated, that this was normal and a reflection of the public’s voice.

“It’s easy. Just file a report with the Kapolda North Sumatra to immediately investigate the veracity of the information. This is prohibited within the Polri as it violates the police code of ethics,” he explained further.

The Chairman of Indonesia Police Watch (IPW), Sugeng Teguh Santoso, echoed this sentiment. He stated that the decision to question Kombes Pol Julihan and Kompol Agustinus Chandra in two separate locations was based on Police Regulation Number 7 of 2022 concerning the Professional Code of Ethics and the Polri Code of Ethics Commission.

“The decision to question them at separate locations is correct. Officers with the rank of Kombes Pol must be questioned by Polri Headquarters, while officers below the rank of Kombes Pol must be questioned by the Polda. We’ll just have to see how the investigation process goes. If proven guilty, both must undergo a code of ethics hearing and await their punishment. That’s all,” Sugeng Teguh Santoso told progresifjaya.id. (Bembo)