MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - The Special Class IA Medan District Court has fully granted Arjoni's pretrial motion (Praperadilan). Arjoni, a father of two, had challenged the termination of an investigation into alleged embezzlement, which he said had caused losses to himself and his two children.
Single-judge Loedewijk Ivandrie Simanjuntak, S.H., M.H., of the
Medan District Court declared the termination of the investigation by the respondents unlawful. The ruling was issued under Pretrial Decision No. 80/Pid.Pra/2026/PN Mdn and pronounced on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The respondents in the proceedings included the North Sumatra Police Chief, the Director of Criminal Investigation at the North Sumatra Police, the Head of Sub-Directorate III for General and Special Crimes (Jatanras), Kompol Jama K Purba, the Acting Head of Unit 4 of Sub-Directorate III, AKP Suyanto Usman Nst., S.H., AKP Hardi H. Sianipar, S.H., and Bacrul J. Ritonga, S.H.
Judge Declares Termination of Investigation Unlawful
In his ruling, the judge granted all of Arjoni's petitions. He also declared legally invalid the termination of the investigation based on Investigation Termination Order No. SP.Henti.Sidik/367.a/VI/RES.1.11./2026/Ditreskrimum dated June 26, 2026, as well as the corresponding Order No. S.Tap/Henti.Sidik/08.b/VI/RES.1.11 Ditreskrimum issued on the same date.
Furthermore, the judge ordered the respondents to resume and continue the investigation related to Police Report No. LP/B/909/V/2021/SPKT/Polda Sumut dated May 31, 2021.
The court costs were charged to the state and set at zero rupiah.
Director of the Medan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Medan), Irvan Saputra, S.H., M.H., said the ruling showed that the justification for terminating the investigation—namely, that no criminal offense had occurred—could not be justified. In his view, investigators had not uncovered any new facts that could legally justify terminating the investigation.
Irvan also said that terminating the investigation based on the results of coordination was contrary to the provisions of Indonesia's Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
"The judge also found in his ruling that investigators had previously determined that a criminal offense had occurred before terminating the investigation. From the outset, investigators were convinced that the actions of
Heri Rahman (the suspect) constituted a criminal offense based on two pieces of evidence, and they therefore designated him as a suspect," Irvan said in an official statement on Monday, September 14, 2026.
According to Irvan, the judge also took into consideration that investigators had previously been convinced that a criminal offense had occurred and had designated Heri Rahman as a suspect based on two pieces of evidence.
INVESTIGATION TERMINATION FOUND WITHOUT LEGAL BASIS:
LBH Medan Director Irvan Saputra emphasizes that the termination of the investigation in the Arjoni case had no legally valid basis because investigators had previously determined that a criminal offense had occurred and designated
Heri Rahman as a suspect. (PHOTO: Doc.
LBH Medan)
Heri Rahman's Suspect Status Had Already Been Declared Lawful
Irvan added that
Heri Rahman's designation as a suspect had previously been challenged in a pretrial proceeding. Single judge Monita Honeisty br. Sitorus of the
Medan District Court, through Decision No. 20/Pid.Pra/2025/PN Medan dated April 29, 2025, declared
Heri Rahman's designation as a suspect lawful.
According to LBH Medan, the decision is an important consideration in assessing the subsequent termination of the investigation. This is because law enforcement authorities had previously designated an individual as a suspect after investigators had obtained two pieces of evidence.
After Decision No. 80/Pid.Pra/2026/PN Mdn declared the termination of the investigation unlawful and ordered that the investigation be continued, the
North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials nevertheless appealed the ruling.
The appeal was registered under Deed No. 312/Akta.Pid Pra/2026/PN Medan on August 20, 2026. The North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials also submitted their grounds of appeal to the North Sumatra High Court through the Medan District Court Registry.
LBH Medan criticized the respondents' legal action.
"LBH Medan believes that the North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials have lost all sense of shame by continuing to insist on defending the problematic termination of the investigation. The conduct of the North Sumatra Police Chief is, figuratively speaking, like licking one's own spit," Irvan said.
ARJONI FILES RESPONSE TO GROUNDS OF APPEAL: Arjoni filed a response to the grounds of appeal with the North Sumatra High Court after the
North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials appealed the pretrial ruling ordering the investigation to continue. (PHOTO: Doc.
LBH Medan)
Arjoni Files Response to Grounds of Appeal
In response to the appeal filed by the
North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials, along with the grounds of appeal submitted in the case, Arjoni, through his legal counsel, filed a response to the grounds of appeal with the North Sumatra High Court.
In the response, Arjoni stated that the decision of the single judge in the Medan District Court's pretrial proceeding contained an appropriate and fair legal assessment based on Indonesia's Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
Arjoni urged the panel of judges at the North Sumatra High Court handling the case to uphold Pretrial Decision No. 80/Pid.Pra/2026/PN Mdn.
According to Arjoni's legal team, the move is intended to ensure that the legal process related to the police report, which has been ongoing for years, can continue and that justice can be served for Arjoni and his two children, whom he says were victims in the case.
The case stems from Police Report No. LP/B/909/V/2021/SPKT/Polda Sumut, which Arjoni filed on May 31, 2021.
LBH Medan considers the handling of the report excessively prolonged, as nearly five years have passed since it was filed.
As the case progressed, the North Sumatra Police designated Heri Rahman as a suspect. Heri Rahman subsequently filed a pretrial motion with the Medan District Court challenging his designation as a suspect.
Single judge Monita Honeisty br. Sitorus, S.H., M.H., then issued Pretrial Decision No. 20/Pid.Pra/2025/PN Medan. The decision, dated April 29, 2025, declared
Heri Rahman's designation as a suspect lawful.
Investigators subsequently issued an order terminating the investigation on June 26, 2026. Arjoni challenged the move by filing a pretrial motion. The Medan District Court then issued Decision No. 80/Pid.Pra/2026/PN Mdn on August 11, 2026.
Irvan views the sequence of proceedings as indicating problems in the handling of the police report, which has remained pending for an extended period.
"Therefore, the actions of the North Sumatra Police Chief and his officials in continuing to defend the problematic termination of the investigation are, in fact, contrary to the 1945 Constitution, the Human Rights Law, and the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP)," Irvan concluded. (IDNC)
REPORTER:
Darmailawati | EDITOR:
Fik Sagala